THE  MENACE  OF 
I  MM  O  R  AL I T  Y 

IN  CHURCH  Am  smrE 

JOHN  ROACH  STRATON 


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The  menace  of  immorality  in 


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THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 
IN  CHURCH  AND  STATE 

REV.  JOHN    ROACH   STRATON,  D.D. 


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—And  Moneys  are  Oistnbuted  and  Relief  Granted  Irrespective  of  Creed 

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RITZ.CARLTW<.VANDERBILT  and  PLAZA  HOTELS 

THE  BIG  SISTERS'  SHOP    6*2   Fifth  A.tnue 


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"The  most  remarkable  advertisement  ever  published  in  America."  Reduced  from  a 
full  page  display  ad.  which  appeared  in  the  "Times"  and  other  New  York  papers  of 
April  28,  1919.  Illustrates  the  complete  blending  of  the  church  and  "the  world" — a 
dance,  woman's  "undress  party,"  and  a  theatrical  "ballet,"  all  advertised  under  the 
auspices  and  in  the  name  of  religion  !  See  page  30  in  sermon  on  "The  Capture  of 
Churches  by  the  World." 


THE 

MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 
IN  CHURCH  AND  STATE 

Messages  of  Wrath 
and  Judgment 

BY 

REV.  JOHN  ROACH  STRATON,  D.D. 

PASTOR  OF   CALVARY   BAPTIST  CHURCH 
NEW  YORK   CITY 


NEW  ^^a^YORK 
GEORGE  H. DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1920, 
BY  GEORGE   H.  DORAN   COMPANY 


PRINTED   IN  THE    UNITED   STATES   OF   AMERICA 


TO  THOSE  MEMBERS  OF 

CALVARY    BAPTIST   CHURCH 

NEW  YORK 

WHO  HAVE  SO  LOYALLY  AND  LOVINGLY 
SUPPORTED  THE  PASTOR  IN  HIS  STAND  FOR 
GOD'S  HOLY  TRUTH  AND  HIS  FIGHT  FOR 
INDIVIDUAL   AND   SOCIAL   RIGHTEOUSNESS 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

I  What  Sort  of  Preaching  Does  the  Modern 
World  Need?  A  Frank  Introductory 
Message ii 

II  The  Capture  of  Christian  Churches  by  the 
World,  as  Illustrated  by  the  "Bal 
Bleu  "  Ball  and  Other  Social  Conditions      22 

III  Slaves    of    Fashion:      The    Connection 

Between  Women's  Dress  and  Social  Vice      38 

IV  The  Awful  Corruption  of  the  Modern 

Theater:   Should  Christians  Attend?     .       51 

V    Dogs  Versus  Babies:    The  Shadow  of  a 

Great  Sin 77 

VI  The  Scarlet  Stain  of  Sexual  Impurity: 
Will  America  Go  the  Way  of  the  Great 
Empires  of  the  Past?  : 87 

VII    The  Re-establishment  of  a  Right  Home 

Life,  the  Mainstay  of  the  Republic        .     106 

VIII    The  Great  American  Gambling  Craze     .     119 

IX  God  or  Mammon?  A  Message  to  the  Mil- 
lionaires OF  New  York 133 

X    The  Rage  for  Rag-Time  Religion       .     .     150 

XI    Sabbath  Observance  AS  SoaAL  Sanity      .     160 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTBX  PAGS 

XII    Will  New  York  Be  Destroyed  If  It  Does 

Not  Repent? 175 

XIII  Judgment  Because  of  Pagan  New  Year  and 

Peace  Celebrations 185 

XIV  The  Final  Defeat  of  the  Devil  ....     202 

XV    A  Real  Hell  for  Real  Sinners      .     .     .     214 

XVI    The  Heavenly  Home  and  Its  Happy  In- 
habitants     237 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Advertisement  of  the  "Bal  Bleu"  Ball  .  Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Public  Warning  against  Dangers    of    Disease 
FROM  Social  Sins 32 

Jazz  Band  that  Performed  for  a  Church     .     .     152 

The  ''Preacher's  Strike"  Cartoon 208 


iz 


THE    MENACE    OF    IMMORALITY 
IN  CHURCH   AND  STATE 


THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 
IN  CHURCH  AND   STATE 

CHAPTER  I 

WHAT  SORT  OF  PREACHING  DOES  THE  MOD- 
ERN WORLD  NEED? 

A    FRANK   INTRODUCTORY   MESSAGE   TO    MY   READERS 

The  following  messages  are  printed  in  response  to 
many  requests  for  their  publication.  I  have  allowed  the 
local  coloring  to  remain  in  the  discourses,  because  I  felt 
that  these  elements  might  add  to  the  vitality  of  the  mes- 
sages, and  make  them  more  concrete  and  real. 

I  have  not  softened  the  messages,  either,  by  "retouch- 
ing" them.  I  have  hoped  that  they  might  be  more  effec- 
tive, if  even  the  occasional  crudities  of  extemporaneous 
speech  were  left  in  them,  rather  than  if  they  were  pol- 
ished off  to  a  nicer  literary  form.  These  messages  were 
stenographically  reported,  and  they  are  given  here  just 
as  God  gave  them  to  the  messenger, — hot  from  the  heart. 
The  only  difference  in  the  printed  messages  from  the 
spoken  form  is  that  I  have  added  some  matter  and  em- 
ployed some  terms  in  some  of  them — particularly  those 
that  deal  with  sex  questions — which  could  not  be  ap- 
propriately employed  in  the  pulpit.  The  messages  are 
very  plain  spoken  in  their  discussion  of  the  appalling 
vices — the  rank  paganism  and  ever  widening  indecencies 
of  the  modern  age.    If  any  are  unduly  sensitive  to  plain 

II 


12       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

speech  about  these  matters,  I  warn  them  here  against 
reading  this  book. 

Happily,  however,  we  are  getting  away  from  that  false 
modesty  which  is  not  willing  to  talk  about  these  evils,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  exposed  and  corrected,  but  is  will- 
ing to  tolerate  them  in  guilty  and  shameful  silenge.  We 
need  to  substitute  the  challenging  tones  of  truth  for  this 
cowardly  and  prudish  reserve.  We  need  to  speak  out.  We 
need  knowledge  of  these  secret  enemies  of  our  homes. 
These  evils  feed  on  silence  and  grow  by  stealth,  and  we 
ought  to-day  to  tell  the  whole  truth  and  not  compromise 
with  evil.  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free."  As  in  Hosea's  day,  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  are  being  "destroyed  for  lack  of  knowl- 
edge.'* Men  and  women,  boys  and  girls, — our  children, 
our  brothers  and  our  sisters, — are  going  down.  Surely 
it  is  our  duty  to  unmask  the  sources  of  their  destruction, 
and  to  seek  by  all  honest  and  legitimate  means  to  defend 
ourselves  against  these  secret  assailants  of  the  sanctity 
of  the  church,  the  purity  of  the  home,  the  good  order 
of  the  state,  and  the  very  life  of  the  nation  itself. 

After  every  war,  there  is  a  wave  of  immorality.  We 
have  just  passed  through  the  greatest  war  of  all  time, 
and  we  are  now  witnessing  the  widest  wave  of  immoral- 
ity in  the  history  of  the  human  race.  Like  a  consuming 
fire,  it  is  sweeping  over  the  world.  Only  a  spurious  and 
silly  optimism  can  deny  this  fact.  All  who  really  know 
conditions,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  confirm  the  fact. 

THE    FLABBINESS    OF    MODERN    PREACHING 

The  overwhelming  need  of  the  hour  is  to  unmask  these 
devices  of  the  adversary  and  to  "tear  down  the  strong- 


FRANK  INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGE     13 

holds  of  Satan."  Whether  in  high  places  or  in  low,  the 
warning  should  be  sounded  strong  and  true. 

And  particularly  is  this  true  in  New  York  City.  Every 
fad  and  heresy  under  heaven  is  here,  and  the  churches, 
often  unwarned  and  unrebuked,  are  either  "sitting  at  ease 
in  Zion,"  or  stampeding  after  the  world.  Let  any  one 
who  questions  this  assertion  read  carefully  the  facts  con- 
cerning conditions  and  current  social  events  discussed  in 
the  following  pages. 

Now  it  is  the  mission  of  the  preacher  to  measure  the 
real  by  the  standards  of  the  ideal,  and  to  urge  the  real 
up  nearer  to  the  ideal.  We  are  to  lift  up  our  eyes  from 
the  things  that  presently  and  immediately  are  and  behold 
on  the  heights  things  as  they  may  become.  The  preacher 
who  merely  endorses  the  status  quo  is  but  a  poor  exem- 
plar either  of  the  ancient  prophets  or  of  the  Christ  who 
called  the  Pharisees — the  religious  leaders  of  his  day — 
"whited  sepulchers,"  and  who  lashed  the  money  changers 
from  the  Temple. 

The  church  and  pulpit  of  to-day  must  awake,  espe- 
cially in  our  great  cities,  to  the  imperative  need  for  ag- 
gressive action  against  the  entrenched  evils  of  the  age. 
The  church  of  God  is  not  a  hospital  to  nurse  sick  saints 
into  heaven.  The  church  is  rather  an  armory  for  the 
training  of  soldiers  to  fight  for  righteousness  and  to 
strive  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  Preachers  who  stand 
in  their  pulpits  from  Sunday  to  Sunday  and  satisfy  them- 
selves with  defending  denominational  redoubts,  spinning 
theological  theories,  propounding  pious  platitudes  and 
reeling  off  rhetorical  bouquets,  when  the  very  fires  of  hell 
are  raging  right  at  them  in  the  slums,  the  palaces,  and 
the  amusement  centers  of  the  city,  and  when  multitudes 
of  young  men  and  women  are  being  swept  away  to  eternal 


14       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

destruction — ^preachers  who  do  that,  haven't  caught  the 
first  gHmmer  of  their  real  mission  as  prophets  of  God  and 
"good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ." 

We  can  imagine  the  pained  contempt  with  which  the 
stalwart  and  rugged  Prophet  of  Nazareth  would  look 
upon  some  of  our  prim  and  precise  "ministers"  of  to-day. 
Men  who  cannot  see  beyond  the  narrow  confines  of  their 
own  little  parish,  who  "prophes'y  soft  things,"  and  in 
their  smug  aloofness  are  entirely  oblivious  of  indulgences 
all  around  them  that  are  sapping  the  very  foundations 
of  society.  Men  who  close  their  eyes  to  the  appalling 
evils  that  are  destroying  hundreds  of  people  for  every 
one  their  churches  reach.  Men  whose  main  stock  in 
trade  is  pink  teas,  dulcet  music,  and  dainty  ethical  ser- 
monettes, — when  the  Lord  of  Life  and  the  Captain  of 
our  Salvation  is  calling  for  us  to  "endure  hardness"  in 
the  battle  for  righteousness! 

The  trouble  to-day  with  many  of  our  churches  is  that 
we  take  up  so  much  time  defending  our  denominational 
trenches  from  each  other  that  we  have  but  little  strength 
left  to  turn  and  fight  the  devil,  who  is  assailing  us  all 
from  the  flank  and  rear.  We  need  to  get  back  to  the 
simplicity  and  unity  of  the  early  church.  The  church  of 
to-day  is  too  much  on  the  defensive,  and  a  church  on 
the  defensive  is  a  church  without  faith.  Against  the 
awful  forces  of  sin  and  corruption,  both  in  high  society 
and  in  the  underworld,  the  church — united,  militant  and 
mighty — should  lift  up  the  flag  that  "bears  the  lilies  of 
the  Lord."  And  in  it  all,  the  ministers  must  lead.  It 
is  certainly  encouraging  to  see  that  some  are  starting 
definitely  and  strongly  in  that  direction,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  there  will  be  no  relaxation,  but  that  the  lines 
will  be  stiffened  at  every  point,  and  the  fight  waged  with 


FRANK  INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGE     15 

increasing  vigor  and  aggressiveness  until  a  final  victory 
is  won. 

NEW  York's  need 

Especially  does  this  flippant,  pleasure-loving,  Mammon- 
worshiping,  Sabbath-breaking,  sinful  city  of  New  York 
— like  the  other  cities  of  the  world — need  to  be  stirred 
to  the  eternal  truths  of  God.  Some  people  to-day  are 
so  pampered  and  spoiled,  that  they  do  not  like  to  hear 
even  a  discussion  of  these  sterner  truths.  They  want 
what  is  palatable  rather  than  what  is  profitable.  They 
are  insistent  that  they  shall  be  ''happy,"  but  they  have 
very  little  concern  that  they  shall  be  holy.  They  are 
impatient  of  all  rebuke  and  warning.  They  would  have 
their  feelings  saved  at  all  cost  and  their  souls  saved  at 
no  cost.  If  the  preachers  are  to  do  them  any  spiritual 
good,  they  demand  that  they  shall  do  it  like  some  dentists 
claim  to  pull  teeth,  "painlessly"!  The  prophet  in  the 
olden  time  had  to  complain  that  the  people  would  "not 
hear  the  law  of  the  Lord."  He  declared  that  the  spoiled 
people  "say  to  the  seers,  see  not;  and  to  the  prophets, 
prophesy  not  unto  us  right  things,  speak  unto  us  smooth 
things,  prophesy  deceits."     (Isa.  3:9-10.) 

Many  preachers  of  to-day  have  surrendered  to  this 
demand  for  "smooth  things."  For  two  generations,  now, 
German  materialistic  and  rationalistic  philosophy  has 
misled  the  theological  thinking  of  our  seminaries.  The 
pulpits  of  the  land,  therefore,  are  occupied  often  by  ani- 
mated question  marks  rather  than  by  fearless  prophets 
of  God.  These  dear  brethren,  in  the  pride  of  their  ration- 
alism and  the  exuberance  of  their  surface  optimism,  are 
preaching  a  milk  and  water  theology,  when  they  have 
any  theology  at  all.    They  are  trying  to  heal  the  awful 


i6       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

cancer  of  human  sin  with  soothing  syrup.  They  are 
sprinkling  cologne  water  upon  the  putrid  iniquities  of  a 
rebellious  race! 


GOD  NOT  A  MOLLYCODDLE 

Because  of  these  things,  many  people  to-day  have  a 
mushy  idea  of  God.  If  they  have  left  any  faith  at  all 
in  God,  they  think  of  Him  as  a  sort  of  good-natured  old 
grandmother,  spoiling  and  pampering  the  children.  What 
the  human  race  needs  to-day,  more  than  anything  else, 
is  a  revival  of  the  right  sort  of  preaching.  Preaching 
that  will  give  God's  messages  rather  than  man's  guesses 
to  the  people.  The  source  of  all  the  disorders  of  to-day, 
— the  wars,  the  Bolshevism,  the  strife  between  capital 
and  labor,  the  riots  and  the  bloodshed,  the  vice  and  the 
crime — all  of  these  things  have  come  about  because  men 
have  lost  faith  in  God  and  His  truth.  And  they  have 
lost  faith  because  the  pulpit  has  not  been  upon  its  job. 
Lawlessness  is  rampant,  because  the  fear  of  God  has  been 
lost;  and  the  best  medicine  that  these  modern  diseases 
could  have  would  be  the  fearless  proclamation  of  the  old- 
fashioned  teachings  of  the  Bible.  If  we  could  hear  every 
pulpit  in  the  land  thundering  these  plain  truths  of  God's 
Word,  and  calling  the  people  back  to  the  great  simplicities 
of  life,  it  would  do  more  to  better  modern  conditions 
than  all  our  reform  measures  and  all  the  forces  of  our 
statesmanship  combined !  The  multitude  to-day,  especially 
those  in  the  *'upper  classes,"  need  to  be  rebuked  for  their 
sins,  and  warned  of  the  wrath  to  come.  For  God  is  no 
mollycoddle!  God  is  the  righteous  Ruler  of  this  mighty 
universe,  and  He  cannot  wink  at  iniquity.  The  Bible 
asks,  "Shall  not  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  and 


FRANK  INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGE     17 

unless  He  does  do  right,  then  destruction  must  come 
upon  all  things. 

Because  New  York  sets  the  pace  for  all  America  in 
many  ways,  the  preachers  and  the  people  of  this  great 
city  need  to  be  awakened  to  the  realization  of  these  ele- 
mental truths.  Some  imagine  because  we  live  in  ''Little 
Old  New  York,"  as  we  call  her,  that  somehow  there  will 
be  especial  indulgence  for  us.  But  not  so!  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons  or  places.  Eternal  Justice  will  be 
done,  and  God's  righteous  law  and  His  holy  will  at  last 
shall  be  vindicated.  Whether  we  live  in  a  palace  on  Fifth 
Avenue  or  a  hovel  in  the  slums,  unless  we  repent  and 
turn  from  our  sins,  we  are  lost. 

And  no  mind  that  is  true  to  the  facts  and  frank  with 
itself  can  deny  that  there  is  an  appalling  inertia,  indiffer- 
ence, and  lack  of  consecration  within  the  ranks  of  re- 
ligion here  and  throughout  the  land.  The  way  in  which 
the  churches  have  lowered  their  standards  and  conformed 
to  the  world  is  surely  sufficient  proof  of  this.  And  the 
seriousness  of  the  situation,  so  far  as  New  York  is  con- 
cerned, is  proved  by  the  fact  that  only  30  per  cent. — 
30  out  of  each  hundred — of  New  York's  teeming  mil- 
lions are  connected  with  any  religious  organization, 
Protestant,  Catholic,  or  Jewish. 

At  least,  therefore,  as  remarked  in  one  of  the  sermons, 
the  city  ought  to  know  that  there  is  another  standard — 
the  standard  of  a  pure  church;  the  standard  of  a  holy 
religion;  the  standard  of  a  regenerate  heart;  the  stand- 
ard  of  victory  over  sin  and  the  world,  instead  of  weak- 
kneed  and  cowardly  surrender  to  theml 


1 8       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

NEW  York's  elements  of  strength 

Having  spoken  thus  frankly  about  my  own  city,  one 
other  word  needs  to  be  said.  These  messages  are  ad- 
dressed to  New  Yorkers,  because  they  were  deUvered 
originally  to  New  York  audiences;  but  the  conditions 
that  prevail  in  this  city  are  characteristic  also  of  other 
cities  the  world  over.  I  have  had  pastorates  now  in  Chi- 
cago, Baltimore,  and  other  cities  of  our  country,  and  the 
messages  in  this  book  might  just  as  appropriately  have 
been  delivered  in  any  American  city,  as  in  New  York. 
The  conditions  considered  are  more  acute  here  than  else- 
where, because  New  York  is  now  the  largest  city  in  the 
world,  and  she  has  more  pressing  problems  arising  from 
mixed  population,  great  congestion,  etc.,  than  other  cities ; 
but  these  evil  tendencies,  unhappily,  are  prevalent  every- 
where. Let  no  reader,  therefore,  dismiss  these  evils  as 
"belonging  to  New  York  only,"  and  no  other  city  plume 
herself  on  being  "more  righteous  than  thou."  New  York 
is  not  the  only  sinner  to-day. 

Indeed,  since  I  have  spoken  so  frankly  in  the  messages 
themselves  in  rebuke  of  the  wrong  conditions  in  this  city, 
I  take  this  opportunity,  in  my  introductory  message,  to 
say  that  I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  elements  of  strength 
and  splendor  in  New  York's  life.  There  are  here  some 
admirable  civic  and  social  forces — a  great  municipal  spir- 
it. If  these  forces  were  properly  molded  and  led  aright, 
New  York  could  become  the  moral  and  spiritual  leader 
of  the  whole  world. 

There  is  one  element  of  hope,  too,  in  the  situation,  and 
that  is  that  if  New  York  is  aroused  she  will  move  with 
strength  and  vigor  for  righteousness,  for  she  does  every- 
thing in  a  big  way.    There  must  come  soon  or  late  a  re- 


FRANK  INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGE     19 

action  from  the  present  extremes  of  worldliness  and  im- 
morality. There  is  a  bigness  of  spirit  here  which  com- 
pels admiration,  and  if  we  can  only  bring  the  city  frankly 
to  face  the  fact  of  her  sins,  to  see  them  as  they  really 
are,  and  to  repent  and  seek  salvation,  this  giant  city  will 
send  tides  of  righteous  influences  throughout  the  whole 
earth. 

The  element  of  fairness  in  New  York's  spirit  has  been 
remarkably  illustrated  in  the  way  in  which  the  great 
New  York  papers  have  printed  large  extracts  from  the 
messages  published  in  this  book.  The  arraignment  of 
the  city's  sins  is  brutally  frank,  and  yet  the  papers  re- 
ported the  sermons  without  modifications.  Some  of  the 
messages  are  even  rough,  just  as  they  were  spoken,  be- 
cause New  York  is  too  big  and  rough  to  respond,  or 
even  pay  any  attention,  to  soft-pedal,  kid-glove  handling ! 
While  often  taking  issue  with  the  preacher,  I  have  noted 
in  the  New  York  papers, — ^both  in  the  ranks  of  reporters 
and  editors — a  willingness  to  face  the  facts,  and  a  cer- 
tain respect  for  the  honesty  which  prompted  these  home- 
spun statements  of  the  old  truths  of  God's  Word. 

WRATH  AND  JUDGMENT 

These  messages,  then,  are  messages  of  wrath  and  judg- 
ment. God  cannot  lightly  pass  by  things  as  they  are  in 
the  world  to-day.  We  have  had  such  a  flood  of  books 
characterized  by  superficial  optimism,  and  so  many  ser- 
mons designed  to  please,  crying  *'Peace!  Peace!  when 
there  is  no  peace,"  that  I  have  felt  ever  more  strongly 
that  it  would  be  timely  to  bring  together  a  group  of  ser- 
mons on  the  shortcomings  of  the  church  and  the  awful 
sins  of  modem  society,  in  the  light  of  the  sterner  warn- 


20       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ings  of  God's  Word.  My  only  regret  is  that  some  one 
else  who  might  more  worthily  and  ably  have  dealt  with 
these  vitally  important  matters,  did  not  speak  up  before 
I  did. 

Modern  society  needs  to  learn  that  the  mere  gilding 
of  vice  does  not  change  its  pernicious  character.  Vice 
is  vice,  whether  robed  in  rags  and  practiced  in  a  hovel, 
or  robed  in  purple  and  practiced  in  a  palace.  I  hope, 
therefore,  that  these  messages  will  not  "please."  I  do 
not  wish  to  please.  I  only  wish  to  be  loyal  to  Christ  and 
true  to  eternal  Righteousness.  The  less  the  messages 
please  the  worldly-minded,  the  better  pleased  will  their 
author  be.  I  sincerely  hope  that  they  may  arrest  and 
arouse  each  one  who  reads,  whether  saint  or  sinner;  and 
if,  even  through  a  first  impression  of  opposition  and  an- 
ger, any  heart  shall  be  led  actually  to  face  facts  as  they 
are,  until  conscience  shall  be  stirred  to  the  enormity  of 
modern  evils,  and  the  greater  enormity  of  tolerating  such 
evils  in  spineless  and  amiable  indifference, — then  I  shall 
feel  amply  rewarded,  fully  recompensed  for  the  heavy 
extra  work  entailed  in  preparing  the  messages  for  the 
press. 

NOT  ALL  WRATH 

Lest  any  reader  should  conclude  that  this  preacher 
deals  only  in  warnings  and  denunciation  of  sin  and  sin- 
ners, however,  and  the  influence  of  the  messages  be  there- 
by lessened,  through  the  idea  that  their  author  is  merely 
a  professional  fault-finder  and  captious  critic,  I  remark 
that  the  messages  in  this  volume  were  delivered,  for  the 
most  part,  on  Sunday  nights  extending  over  about  two 
years ;  and  they  were  mixed,  as  they  were  being  preached, 
with  many  other  sermons  which  followed  entirely  differ- 


FRANK  INTRODUCTORY  MESSAGE     21 

ent  lines.  They  are  brought  together  in  this  way  be- 
cause, while  they  are  separate  discourses,  it  has  been  felt 
that  there  was  some  element  of  continuity  and  consistency 
in  the  series.  Since  the  Sunday  night  congregations  to 
which  they  were  preached  changed  much  in  personnel 
from  week  to  week,  there  is  occasional  repetition  of 
thought  or  phrasing  which  I  have  allowed  to  remain,  as 
usually  the  particular  Hne  of  thought  seemed  to  justify 
the  repetition  in  a  new  connection. 

The  book  is  sent  out,  therefore,  with  the  earnest  and 
prayerful  hope  that  it  may  accomplish  some  good  by  aid- 
ing in  the  tearing  down  of  the  "strongholds  of  Satan," 
by  pointing  sinners  to  the  cross,  and  thus  hastening  the 
coming  of  that  blessed  day  when  our  Lord  Himself  shall 
be  with  us  again,  to  lift  the  curse  of  Eden,  to  defeat  the 
devil,  to  banish  the  blight  of  sin,  and  to  reign  in  justice, 
peace  and  love  in  the  "new  heavens  and  the  new  earth, 
wherein  dwelleth  righteousness.'* 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   CAPTURE   OF   CHRISTIAN   CHURCHES   BY 

THE  WORLD,  AS  ILLUSTRATED  BY  THE 

*'BAL  BLEU"  BALL  AND  OTHER  SOCIAL 

CONDITIONS 

The  word  *Vorld"  is  often  employed  in  the  Bible,  in 
addition  to  its  other  meanings,  to  convey  the  idea  of  an 
evil  principle  or  power  which  is  ever  active,  which  is  hos- 
tile to  the  highest  interests  of  the  soul,  and  destructive  of 
man's  moral  and  religious  life.  It  is  the  sum  total  of 
those  forces  which  set  the  carnal  over  against  the  spiritual, 
which  glorify  the  temporal  at  the  expense  of  the  eternal, 
and  which  exalt  the  earthly  above  the  heavenly.  Any- 
thing upon  which  we  set  our  hearts,  to  the  neglect  or 
exclusion  of  God,  is  "worldhness."  It  is  particularly  in 
this  sense  that  we  need  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the 
term  and  to  heed  the  warnings  of  God's  Word  about  it. 
We  need  to  understand  that  worldliness  is  not  simply 
this  or  that  little  indulgence,  which  we  tend  to  condemn 
sometimes  in  our  young  people.  There  is  an  innocent 
joy  of  life  which  should  and  does  express  itself  in  many 
beautiful  and  harmless  ways;  but  there  is  also  this  other 
thing,  which  mars  the  true  world  and  usurps  the  place 
of  God  in  the  life,  and  which  degrades  and  finally  de- 
stroys its  devotees,  and  that  thing  is  "worldliness."  It 
is  described  in  the  Bible  in  very  searching  and  comprehen- 
sive fashion,  as  "the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eyes 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  23 

and  the  pride  of  life'* ;  and  it  is  declared  that  this  thing, 
expressing  itself  in  this  three-fold  way,  **is  not  of  the 
Father,  but  is  of  the  world/'  The  very  essence,  then, 
of  worldliness  is  comprised  in  the  three  things — sensual- 
ity, covetousness  and  vain  glory. 

THE  SENSUOUS  VERSUS  THE  SPIRITUAI<^ 

When  the  Bible,  in  the  verse  quoted,  describes  worldli- 
ness as  *'the  lust  of  the  flesh,"  it  is  in  harmony  with  other 
Scripture  teaching  that  the  flesh  is  naturally  at  enmity 
with  the  spirit.  Paul  declared  that  *'the  flesh  lusteth 
against  the  spirit  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh."  There 
is  a  warfare  to  the  death  between  them,  and  the  life  will 
finally  either  be  dominated  by  the  one  or  the  other.  Hence, 
we  are  solemnly  warned  "not  to  make  provision  for  the 
flesh  to  fulfill  the  lusts  thereof." 

We  will  not  take  the  time  to  consider  that  form  of 
sensuality  which  expresses  itself  in  gluttony,  drunken- 
ness, and  the  grosser  vices  of  the  race.  There  are  far 
more  subtle  and  dangerous  forms  of  worldliness  which 
lead  to  these  grosser  forms,  and  against  which  we  need 
to  be,  in  our  age  particularly,  on  our  guard. 

Take,  for  example,  the  situation  as  regards  dancing 
to-day.  We  should  not  be  extreme  in  our  judgments,  and 
yet  can  any  one  who  really  knows  modern  social  condi- 
tions deny  the  need  of  strong  convictions  within  the 
ranks  of  Christians  upon  this  question  ?  From  the  earliest 
time,  dancing  has  been  associated  with  the  vices  that 
tear  down  and  destroy  the  human  race.  In  the  Bible  the 
only  sort  of  dancing,  of  which  we  have  any  record,  is 
the  dance  of  religious  joy.  This  is  a  dance  such  as  Mir- 
iam and  David  indulged  in,  when  it  is  said  of  David, 


24       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

for  example,  that  he  * 'danced  before  the  Lord  with  all 
his  might." 

There  is  nothing  in  the  Bible  even  remotely  suggest- 
ing or  justifying  dancing  as  we  know  it  to-day.  These 
dances  of  the  Bible  were  always  simply  an  expression  of 
religious  joy  by  a  man  or  woman,  as  the  case  might  be, 
and  never  was  there  any  dancing  of  the  sexes  together. 
One  of  the  most  horrible  crimes  in  the  entire  Bible,  a 
most  shocking  instance  of  human  depravity  and  sin,  oc- 
curred in  connection  with  dancing,  when  John  the  Baptist 
was  murdered  and  his  head  was  brought  in  on  a  charger, 
as  a  reward  for  the  dance  of  a  lewd  woman  before  a 
degenerate  king. 

We  no  longer  have  the  simple  and  stately  dances  of  a 
former  day,  and  we  do  not  enter  here  into  a  discussion  as 
to  whether  they  had  a  place  or  whether  they  were  right ; 
but  beyond  any  question  the  dances  of  this  day  are  an 
expression  of  degeneration  in  human  society.  These 
dances  take  their  very  names  and  movements  from  the 
lower  animals,  and  the  amazing  thing  about  it  is,  that 
there  seems  to  be  so  little  conscience  on  this  question 
among  Christian  people.  That  thoughtful  and  highly  tal- 
ented Englishman,  Harold  Begbie,  in  his  book,  "The 
Crisis  of  Morals,"  exclaims :  'Think  what  it  means  that 
these  filthy  and  lascivious  dances  are  tolerated  in  private 
houses,  and  that  they  are  laughed  at  and  caricatured  in 
the  newspapers  as  though  they  were  merely  an  absurdity 
of  fashion."  And  even  a  secular  newspaper,  the  *'Times- 
Picayune,"  of  New  Orleans,  in  a  recent  editorial  said: 

"The  trouble  with  questionable  dancing  is  that  there 
is  nothing  questionable  about  it — it  is  unquestionably 
fead!  In  the  great  up  and  down  of  the  dance,  from  the 
very  beginning  of  history,  each  periodic  dip  has  reached 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  25 

some  revolting  level  of  vulgarity  that  has  forced  a  revul-, 
sion  of  feeling  and  'blue  laws.'    So  now,  at  the  very  out-\ 
set  of  our  comments,  let  us  warn  those  who  may  seek  to  I 
excuse  the  present-day  spasm  of  dance  depravity  that  | 
unless  there  is  a  quick  and  well-ordered  betterment  of  | 
conditions,  inaugurated  from  within  the  ranks,  there  is  | 
sure  to  be  coming  from  outside  the  dancing  fold  a  reac-    ' 
tion  that,  for  a  generation  at  least,  will  place  an  indiscrim- 
inating  ban  upon  such  social  enjoyments.   There  has  been 
a  gradual  undermining  of  the  sensitive  feelings  of  a  large 
element  of  the  public,  until  to-day  actions  are  tolerated 
and  moralities  accepted  in  connection  with  social  func- 
tions which,  until  recently,  would  have  subjected  those 
who  gave  them  to  instant  ostracism.     History,  broadly 
speaking,  repeats  herself;  but  she  always  does  so  with 
certain  artistic  variations,  and  the  characteristic,  as  we 
see  it,  of  the  present  period  of  dance  degradation  is  that 
it  attacks  most  virulently  the  very  young.     It  is  striking 
at  our  boys  and  girls,  our  young  women  and  men,  and 
thus  at  the  very  roots  of  our  future  society/' 


BAL-BLEU      BALL  AT  THE  RITZ-CARLTON 


What  shall  we  say,  then,  of  churches  and  church  peo- 
ple, who  not  only  condone  but  even  conduct  dances  and 
balls  to-day?  I  hold  here  in  my  hand  a  full  page  adver- 
tisement which  appeared  recently  in  our  New  York  papers. 
I  consider  it  the  most  remarkable  advertisement  ever  pub- 
lished in  America;  and  it  proves,  I  believe,  that  at  least 
one  large  section  of  the  Christian  Church  has  been  com- 
pletely captured  by  the  world.  This  advertisement  an- 
nounces the  "Bal  Bleu"  ball,  which  occurred  at  the  Ritz- 
Carlton  Hotel.  The  remarkable  thing  about  the  adver- 
tisement is  that  it  links  up  the  ball  and  the  theater  directly 
with  the  church, — Protestant,  Catholic  and  Jewish.  Un- 
der the  main  display  head  at  the  top  of  the  advertisement 


26       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

we  have  another  Hne  in  large  type,  giving  the  name  of  a 
lady,  who  was  "Chairman"  for  the  "Protestants,"  an- 
other lady  who  was  "Chairman"  for  the  "Catholics,"  and 
a  third  lady  who  was  "Chairman"  for  the  "Jewish"  sec- 
tion. This  was  a  charity  ball,  to  benefit  the  work  of  the 
"Big  Sisters,"  and  it  is  stated,  in  a  second  place  in  the 
advertisement,  in  very  large  type,  that  "there  are  three 
divisions  of  this  organization — Protestant,  Catholic  and 
Jewish."  This  gives  the  hall  a  distinctive  religious  set- 
ting. Another  line  in  the  advertisement  tells  us  that  "the 
Bat  Bleu  will  be  marked  by  unusual  features  of  enter- 
tainment contributed  by  Mr.  Florenz  Ziegfeld,  Jr.,  from 
his  Midnight  Frolic  production." 

We  are  told  further  that  this  part  of  the  entertainment 
includes  "the  initial  appearance  of  the  English  and  French 
stage  beauties."  Then  the  advertisement  tells  us  that 
these  stage  beauties  were  "recently  selected  abroad,"  just 
about  in  the  same  way  that  an  announcement  would 
have  been  made  if  some  cattle  had  been  bought  abroad 
and  brought  to  this  country  for  display  purposes ! 

Here,  then,  is  a  complete  blending  together  of  the 
dance,  and  the  most  flippant  and  sensuous  side  of  the 
theater,  with  the  forces  of  religion  and  the  people  of  the 
modern  church!  I  have  also  a  news  account  of  this  ball 
taken  from  the  papers  the  day  following.  This  account 
tells  us  how  the  ball  went  forward,  with  these  theatrical 
trimmings,  and  at  last  that  "Sixty  Ziegfeld  beauties  took 
part  in  this  frolic,  including  the  nine  recently  brought 
from  overseas.  Nymphs,  fauns,  and  satyrs  appeared  in  a 
Greek  ballet!''  The  names  of  the  ladies  who  were  spon- 
sors for  the  different  branches  of  the  church  are  also 
given  in  this  news  story,  and  with  them  the  name  of  one 
of  our  world-famous  Baptist  laymen  is  linked  up  with 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  27 

the  ball,  because  he  donated,  we  are  told,  a  room  where 
was  carried  on  "a  spirited  sale  of  tickets." 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  unkind,  but  fidelity  to  Jesus  Christ 
and  love  of  His  church  leads  me  to  protest  most  earnestly 
against  any  such  mixing  up  of  religion,  with  the  dance 
and  with  a  theater  ballet,  as  that  ball  and  entertainment 
brought  about.  If  those  ladies  and  gentlemen  wished  to 
do  something  for  charity,  why  did  they  not  give  their 
money  direct,  which  is  the  Bible  method?  In  this  day 
of  industrial  and  social  discontent  ajid  unrest,  because 
of  the  inequalities  of  life,  why  did  they  parade  in  this 
advertisement  the  fact  that  $50.00  each  was  paid  for 
many  of  the  table  reservations?  If  these  leaders  of  to- 
day will  put  more  of  their  time  and  strength  on  correct- 
ing the  industrial  and  social  wrongs  of  the  day,  there 
woidd  he  less  need  of  charity.  What  the  great  masses 
of  humanity  want  is  not  charity  hut  justice,  and  the  part 
of  wisdom  now  is  to  place  the  emphasis  at  that  point. 

THE  DANCE_AND  VICE 

Do  not  those  who  were  behind  this  ball  know  that  the 
dance  to-day  is  one  of  the  main  feeders  of  the  very  social 
ills  that  this  money  from  the  charity  ball  was  designed  to 
help  ?  This  advertisement  tells  us  that  the  money  derived 
from  the  ball  is  to  ''establish  a  permanent  fund  to  be 
used  in  bettering  the  physical,  mental  and  moral  condition 
of  children  (girls  especially)  brought  before  the  Chil- 
dren's Court."  Do  not  these  friends  know  that  many  of 
these  children,  ''girls  especially,"  who  are  brought  before 
the  Children's  Court,  are  brought  to  their  moral  downfall 
through  the  degenerate  dance  halls  of  this  city,  where 
evil  men  ply  their  unholy  trade  of  seduction  and  ruin? 


28        THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Again  and  again,  social  reformers  have  given  us  the  facts 
showing  that  an  overwhelming  proportion  of  the  girls 
who  drift  into  the  underworld,  come  to  that  terrible  life 
through  the  dance  halls  and  the  low  theater.  And  yet 
these  representatives  of  the  wealth  and  power  of  New 
York  will  set,  at  the  top  of  the  social  scale,  this  example 
of  dancing,  etc.,  which  cannot  fail  to  encourage  the  prac- 
tice all  down  the  line,  on  the  part  of  those  elements  of 
society  which  are  not  so  strong  and  protected  as  the  upper 
classes,  but  which  suffer  terribly  through  the  wreck  and 
ruin  wrought  in  the  dance  halls  and  other  places  of  sin 
connected  with  them.  I  could  relate,  from  my  own  ex- 
perience, many  concrete  instances  of  destruction  that  has 
come  to  young  girls  through  the  dance  halls;  and  yet  in 
the  face  of  the  known  conditions,  these  leaders  of  our 
city's  social  life  will  set  the  example  of  dancing  before 
the  people. 

IF  JESUS  HAD  ATTENDED  THE  "BAL  BLEU'*   BALL? 

And  not  only  that,  but  the  appalling  thing  about  it  is, 
that  they  have  done  it  all  in  the  name  of  religion  and 
under  religious  auspices.  Not  only  did  they  have  this 
great  ball,  in  which  there  was  the  usual  display  of  the 
female  form  and  a  condition  of  undress  that  was  shock- 
ing, according  to  any  right  standards,  but  they  also  intro- 
duced the  ballet,  which  means  simply  that  scores  of  young 
women  were  paid  to  sacrifice  their  modesty,  in  order  that 
thereby  they  might  entertain  and  please  people  by  the 
display  of  their  forms  and  the  grace  of  their  movements. 

When  we  stop  and  think  of  this  in  the  light  of  Jesus* 
love  and  reverence  for  womanhood  and  His  effort  to 
protect  the  weak  and  to  save  the  erring,  is  it  not  shocking 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  29 

beyond  all  expression  that  Christian  men  and  women 
should  be  so  thoughtless  as  to  get  their  pleasures  in  this 
way,  and  that,  too,  in  the  holy  name  of  religion  and 
charity?  I  challenge  any  one  to  deny  the  assertion  that 
that  ball  and  everything  connected  with  it  was  an  expres- 
sion of  pure  paganism.  It  sounded  like  ancient  Rome, 
and  not  like  Christian  America !  There  was  not  a  single 
Christian  touch  in  it  all. 

We  pray  and  hope  for  the  coming  again  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  this  lost  world,  and  the  Bible  teaches  us  to  believe  that 
He  may  come  at  any  moment.  Supposing  Jesiis  had 
come  to  New  York  during  the  progress  of  that  ball  and 
had  walked  into  the  ballroom  at  the  Ritz-Carlton,  what 
woidd  have  happened?  Doubtless  the  first  thing  would 
have  been  that  the  ladies  woidd  have  grabbed  anything 
in  sight  with  which  to  cover  th^eir  exposed  bodies! 

THE  VIRTUE  OF  A  FIGHT 

"But,"  you  say,  "why  raise  any  issue  over  these  things  ? 
What  good  will  it  do?"  Well,  a  faithful  fight  always 
does  good,  and  all  right  thinking  Christians  should  pro- 
test in  most  earnest  and  emphatic  manner  against  the 
prostitution  of  religion  by  tying  it  up  with  these  forces 
of  worldliness  and  sin.  I  take  this  opportunity  to  raise 
the  standard  of  God's  truth  and  hoHness  in  opposition  to 
all  of  these  things.  At  least  the  city  ought  to  know  that 
there  is  another  standard, — the  standard  of  a  pure  church, 
the  standard  of  a  holy  religion,  the  standard  of  a  regener- 
ate heart,  the  standard  of  victory  over  sin  and  the  world, 
instead  of  weak-kneed  and  cowardly  surrender  to  them! 
We  Christians  are  here  in  the  world  to  ^'tear  down  the 


30       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

strongholds  of  Satan,"  and  not  to  effect  a  complete  of- 
fensive and  defensive  alliance  with  him! 

That  ball  was  not  right.  Viewed  from  any  proper 
standpoint,  it  was  hideously  wrong,  and  may  God  stir 
the  sluggish  conscience  of  New  York  and  help  us  to  a 
better  vision,  or  this  city  will  suffer  not  only  social  decay 
because  of  these  things,  but  the  righteous  wrath  of  God 
will  fall  upon  her  and  upon  her  people ;  and  especially  will 
it  fall  upon  those  in  high  places  who  ought  to  know  bet- 
ter and  who  proved  themselves  ''blind  leaders  of  the 
blind"  by  these  things! 

THE  DANCE  AND  SOCIAL  DISEASES 

By  a  striking  coincidence,  there  appeared  in  the  same 
issue  of  the  papers  that  contained  this  display  advertise- 
ment of  the  great  ball,  another  display  advertisement, 
which  I  also  have  here.  It  was  an  announcement  by 
the  United  States  Public  Health  Service  and  the  New 
York  City  Department  of  Health.  This  announcement 
is  signed  by  Dr.  Rupert  Blue,  Surgeon  General  of  the 
United  States  Public  Health  Service,  and  by  Dr.  Royal 
S.  Copeland,  Commissioner  of  Health,  New  York  City. 
This  announcement  tells  of  the  frightful  conditions  aris- 
ing from  social  sins  in  our  city  and  state.  The  announce- 
ment says  that  these  conditions  "make  it  necessary  to 
resort  to  heroic  measures  to  check  the  spread  of  certain 
angerous  diseases."  The  announcement  tells  us  that  in 
s^ew  York  State  ''2jo,ooo  men  who  registered  in  the  first 
raft  and  who  were  not  called,  were  suffering  from  these 
iseases"  The  announcement  says  further,  ''The  condi- 
ions  indicate  tJmt  the  vitality  of  the  nation  is  imperiled" 
nd  the  announcement  then  tells  us  the  blunt,  appalling 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  31 

truth  that  "more  than  60  per  cent,  of  men  are  infected 
with  these  deadly  diseases/'  Yes,  the  diseases  are  deadly. 
It  is  said  that  they  cause  95  per  cent,  of  the  bhndness  of 
children  and  60  per  cent,  of  the  more  serious  surgical 
operations  performed  upon  women,  75  per  cent,  of  child- 
less marriages,  and  other  horrible  results  that  strike  at 
the  very  fountain  of  life  itself  and  that  undermine  and 
destroy  the  human  race. 

The  greatest  danger  point  to-day  is  in  the  relationship 
between  the  sexes,  under  the  conditions  of  our  congested, 
overwrought  modern  life.  Every  great  civilization  of 
the  past  has  decayed  precisely  at  this  point,  and  the 
danger  signals,  as  this  startling  announcement  from  the 
health  authorities  shows,  are  already  out  for  our  age. 
Let  it  be  said  again  that  these  are  no  light  matters  with 
which  we  are  dealing.  The  very  life  of  the  race  is  at 
stake  in  these  tremendous  issues,  and  instead  of  rebelling 
against  rebuke  or  justifying  ourselves  in  pride  and 
haughtiness,  we  need  to  bow  in  the  very  dust  of  re- 
pentance, and  turn  back  in  humiHty  to  God  and  His 
truth. 

Can  any  one  deny  that  there  is  a  direct  connection  be- 
tween the  prevalence  of  these  degraded  dances  to-day 
and  the  starthng  and  terrible  increase  of  these  social 
diseases?  Was  it  not  the  keenest  of  irony  that  in  the 
same  papers  that  carried  the  display  advertisement  of  the 
**Bal  Bleu"  ball,  with  its  endorsement  of  the  whole  danc- 
ing and  ballet  idea,  there  should  appear  also  this  other  ad- 
vertisement, warning  the  people  against  the  terrible  dan- 
gers that  flow  from  a  wrong  relationship  between  the 
sexes?  Laugh,  if  you  will,  at  those  who  dare  to  sound 
the  warning,  but  "God  is  not  mocked,"  and  His  righteous 
laws  cannot  be  violated  with  impunity.     We  can  be  in- 


32       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

different  to  these  vices  in  New  York,  and  laugh  at  the 
preachers  who  dare  to  protest  against  them,  but  never- 
theless our  children  and  our  children's  children  will  have 
to  pay  the  price  of  our  folly  and  sin,  and  our  disregard 
and  violation  of  God's  law.  New  York  can  continue  with 
her  "cabarets"  her  "Bal  Bleus/'  her  ''Midnight  Frolics/' 
her  ''imported  English  and  French  stage  beauties/'  her 
bedroom  plays,  where  the  main  feature  is  lingerie,  her 
neglect  of  the  church,  her  secidarising  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
her  half-dressed  women,  and  her  pagan  wining  and  din- 
ing, but  she  will  have  to  pay  the  piper  for  all  of  these 
things!  She  will  have  to  reap  the  harvest  from  such  god- 
less and  sinful  sowing.  Already  she  is  reaping  the  harvest 
in  the  startling  fact  that  60  per  cent,  of  the  men  who  walk 
her  streets  are  infected  with  loathsome  diseases  that  en- 
danger the  health  and  safety  of  every  man,  woman  and 
child  within  her  borders! 

CHURCH  DANCES  TO-DAY 

In  the  face  of  these  terrible  conditions,  that  ought  to 
be  known  to  all  intelligent  leaders  in  the  moral  life  of  the 
community,  we  have  the  fact  that  many  churches  are 
now  holding  dances  in  their  buildings.  I  have  here,  for 
example,  pamphlets  announcing  dances  in  a  famous 
Baptist  Church  on  Manhattan  Island,  and  churches  of 
other  denominations  are  holding  dances  constantly  in 
their  own  buildings  and  even  in  down-town  hotels.  Oh, 
how  far  we  have  gone  in  this  modern  age  of  ours  from 
the  safe,  sweet  paths  that  our  mothers  and  fathers  fol- 
lowed in  the  light  of  God's  holy  truths !  We  hear  from 
some  of  our  churches,  even  on  Sunday,  announcements 
in  connection  with  the  theater,  showing  a  practical  al- 


ANNOUNCEMENT 

by  the 

UNITED  STATES  PUBLIC  HEALTH  SERVICE 

and  the 

NEW  YORK  Cnr  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH 

Conditions  existing  in  many  cities  make  it  necessary  to  resort  to  heroic 
measures  to  check  the  spread  of  certain  dangerous  diseases.  Through 
ignorance  many  persons,  innocently  and  accidentally,  are  exposed  to  a  pcrfl 
which  spares  neither  infant  nor  aduh.    That  peril  is  the  venereal  peril 

The  exigencies  of  war  forced  this  Government  to  face  the  problem  frankly 
and  courageously,  and,  as  a  result,  the  venereal  rate  in  the  American  Army 
w«s  lower  than  in  -any  »Hiiy  ia  ths  hi:::tc>r--  i>i  the  -vo'ld-  Yet.  frori  the  time 
America  entered  the  war— April,  1917,  to  "September,  19ia— 2,295,000  days  of 
service  were  lost  to  the  American  Array  through  venereal  diseases. 

Of  these  diseases,  only  one-sixth  were  contracted  after  enlistment.  In 
New  York  Sute  at  least  270,000  men  who  registered  in  the  first  draft  and  who 
were  not  called  were  suffering  from  venereal  diseases. 

Thus,  the  problem  is  and  has  been  a  problem  for  civilian  communities. 
Because  the  problem  has  been  ignored,  the  Army  and  Navy  were  seriously 
handicapped  throughout  the  war.  The  conditions  indicate  that  the  vitality  of 
the  nation  is  impenled.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  large  percentage  of  adults 
who  have  venerwl  disease  during  life.  Out  of  770,000  males  reaching  maturity 
yearly,  it  is  stated  that  450,000  of  them,  or  mere  than  60Tc,  are  infected. 

This  condition  of  affairs  must  not  continue.  Deiiiobihza,.ion  is  .n  j.i  ogress 
and  the  American  fighting  man  must  enter  into  his  readjustment  to  civil  life 
with  a  clean  bill  of  health. 

Our  soldiers  returning  from  overseas  are  coming  back  principally  by  way 
of  New  York,  where  these  diseases  are  too  prevalent.  These  men  must  be 
protected.  The  way  to  protect  them  is  to  look  the  evil  squarely  in  the  face 
and  to  attack  it  ope^y. 

How  should  the  problem  be  met? 

First,  by  enlightening  the  public  as  to  the  seriousness  of  venereal  in- 
fections. 

Secondly,  by  immediate  steps  to  provide  prompt  and  effective  treatment 
for  those  afflicted.. 

To  these  ends,  clinics  have  been  established  at  the  following  locations : 

The  Bronx 

Dent     °r  Hnltk   CJsk    (lUtt   BSTCB),    Itttb  M. 


Manhattan 
(E*it  Sulc) 

De  Mt:t  TyirvfntAn.   ^JT-e  Bl-   t  roartii  at«. 
>ii    EiTi.i  Hctpiixi.  nun  »re.  k  leKh  rt. 

E«h   l»r£«l   UosptlAl.   Jefferson  *  Cherry 
l^Dox  HIU   Hoepltcl,   LeitnFtca  *    *' 


4  Er«*k  ftve 


*    TTtk    St. 

_  4    S7lh    K. 

CoDd  SamArttkn  Dispens&r7-  Broome  4  Ees«x  «!■. 


Cornell    DlspejMaTT.   Flril 


Broddyn 


m-   Uark'a   BoFr^ral.   1T7-1T»   &*cc.d^   ave. 


6t.   BanholomeWs   HDvplial.   215   E-   42»d  it. 
Flower  Ho«rpll&l.    «3rt   at.   A  Ave.    A. 
Povt-Gre4uate  Honilial.   Seoasd   av«.  A   2*th  at. 
nerlem  H<»pllal,   Lraox  are.   *    llfiib 


I>«pt.   9t  Hea:tb  Olalc.  P1« 


•ve.   A  lltth   at. 


V.  8.  PuUlc  Bcattb  Serrlcc  Cllotc.  >n  £.  I9th  at- 
MalB   CUbIc  (I>epl.  of  Health).   ]»   Cemr«  at. 

(Wat  Side) 

VutVrbllt   Cllnle.   Amrterd&ni   a^C-    ft   t9th  aL 
New   Yortt    rMapcDaarr.    S«    Eprlng   »t. 
West   SIdfl   DlapeaBa.nr.   31*   W.   42iid   at. 
Ne*  loric  Ho«pll*.l,    e-14  W.   ISih  »L 
PreiKrh   Hoepltai.   4  SO   W.   ttlh  rl. 


DcF'..   U  BeaiO)   CUnlc,   121  PriKC  at. 


^^^^<^.^-/32^^ 


»»rff«r"    enteral,    V.    8.   P»¥bc    i/eoUX   Service. 


Brsoklj-n    H««pftal    rMapeaiarr.    De    K»lb    ara.    A 

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Polbcmca   ^L.  I    C  )  Baapltal.  Heary  ft  Kmlxy  aia. 
Wjrckofr    Helchta    HoayftaJ.    Et.    Nlcfaolu    avc.    * 

8t&nbope  at- 
Je-Rlsh  Hospital.   Clusen  ft  £t.  IXaiir'a  avea. 
Dept-   of  Heaiih  Olck.  M    Ptans^lvanla    are. 
Dept,  of  Health  Clinic,  Fleet    ft    wnicueWiy    at*- 
Dett.  o(  Heaim  CIlslc.  }M    S.    »ik   si 


Queens 

Depc.  af  He&llli.  STI-JT*   FtJtoa   i 

RiciuDond 

Der'    ^  He&Uh.  B47    ft    ET.Iz^bctb   at3^    Eaap.« 


/-^^-Z 


CraaUu>M<r\/  •2<jrX.  Jfc»  rark  C<|«L 


Advertisement  (from  New  York  "Tribune,"  April  28,  1919)  warning  public  against 
dangers  of  disease  from  social  sins.  This  appeared  in  the  papers  the  same  day  as  the 
full  page  advertisement  of  the  "Bal  Bleu  Ball."     See  frontispiece. 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  33 

liance  with  it.  We  see  in  other  churches,  the  introduction 
of  "theatrical  stars"  in  the  effort  to  attract  crowds;  and 
a  short  time  ago,  the  wife  of  one  of  our  preachers  danced 
all  night  long.  This  dance  must  have  been  with  other 
men,  because  surely  even  an  "advanced"  and  "liberal" 
parson  would  not  yet  go  the  limit  of  himself  attending 
a  ball  and  dancing ! 

Imagine  this  woman  being  called  upon  suddenly  to  go 
to  the  bedside  of  some  one  who  was  sick !  Imagine  her, 
in  her  abbreviated  ball  gown,  trying  to  comfort  the  sor- 
rowing ones  in  the  home,  and  kneeling  beside  the  bed  to 
prepare  a  soul  to  go  out  into  eternity !  The  thought  would 
be  utterly  ridiculous  and  laughable  if  it  were  not  so 
tragic. 

All  of  these  things  are  shocking  and  horrible  treason 
to  Jesus  and  His  divine  and  holy  truth ;  and  the  time  has 
come  for  a  stiffening  up  of  our  moral  backbones,  and  for 
a  war  to  the  death  upon  these  insidious  vices  that  are 
doing  so  much  to  paralyze  the  church  and  that  are  sap- 
ping the  very  life  of  modern  society. 

DANCING  NOT  NECESSARY  TO  "HOLD  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE*' 

"But,"  some  one  says,  "ought  we  not  to  make  some 
concessions  to  hold  the  young  people  ?  Does  not  the  end 
justify  the  means?"  No,  it  does  not!  and  no  sound,  safe 
system  of  morals  can  be 'founded  upon  any  such  idle 
sophistry!  No  good  can  be  reached  by  evil  means,  be- 
cause Jesus  said,  "An  evil  tree  cannot  bring  forth  good 
fruit."  Some  say  that  the  only  way  to  hold  the  young 
people  and  to  win  the  soldiers  to  the  churches  is  to  bring 
in  dancing  and  theatricals  and  all  of  that.  They  say  that 
we  must  "fight  the  devil  with  fire."     But  the  trouble  is 


34       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

that  the  devil  has  more  fire  than  we  have,  and  he  can  al- 
ways beat  us  at  that  game. 

Wherever  the  church  tries  to  capture  the  world  by 
"fighting  the  devil  with  fire,"  she  herself  gets  captured 
and  scorched !  The  devil's  specialty  is  fire.  Furthermore, 
and  most  emphatically,  every  right  minded  young  inan 
and  woman  to-day  will  resent  the  imputation  that  they 
can  only  he  won  and  held  to  the  church  by  pandering  to 
the  giddy  and  fleshly  side  of  their  natures.  No !  Chris- 
tianity means  heroic  self-renunciation,  or  it  means  nothing 
at  all.  The  only  way  that  the  church  can  really  win  and 
hold  the  young,  who  are  worth  the  winning,  is  by  the 
beauty  of  holiness  and  the  joy  of  service.  Not  to  get 
something  upon  the  low  level  of  fleshly  enjoyment,  but 
to  give  something  upon  the  superb  heights  of  the  spirit, 
is  what  the  true  church  really  stands  for.  The  church  had 
better  have  Gideon's  little  three  hundred,  if  only  they 
know  how  to  pray  and  love  souls  and  are  set  for  the 
service  of  God  and  man  in  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice, 
than  to  have  all  of  her  teeming  thousands  of  spoiled  and 
pampered  worldlians,  who  are  compromising  God's 
truth  and  dragging  the  white  standard  of  Jesus  Christ 
in  the  very  mud  and  mire  of  self-indulgence  and  shame! 

The  Christian  church  must  divorce  itself  absolutely 
from  the  sinful  world.  Self-sacrifice  has  in  it  far  more 
attractive  power  than  selfish  indulgencies.  God  hasten 
the  day  when  the  leaders  of  our  churches,  and  our 
religious  forces  everywhere,  will  come  to  understand  this 
truth  again,  and  will  turn  from  the  folly  of  compromising 
with  sin  and  of  surrendering  to  the  world ! 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  35 

VICTORY   OVER   THE  WORLD 

The  darkest  day  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  church 
was  when,  away  back  inConstantine's  age,  it  joined  hands 
with  the  temporal  power  for  the  accompHshment  of  its 
•spiritual  aims,  and  thus  surrendered  in  part  to  the  world. 
The  church  and  the  world  are  inherently,  essentially  and 
unavoidably  antagonistic.  Well  does  the  Apostle  John 
say  that  ''the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with 
God."  The  message  of  the  Bible  to  us  concerning  world- 
liness  and  worldly  people  is,  ''Come  out  from  among 
them  and  be  ye  separate,  and  touch  not  the  unclean 
thing."  (Cor.  6:17.)  Christ  has  taught  us  that  we  are 
*'to  be  in  the  world  but  not  of  the  world."  The  Chris- 
tian's citizenship  is  in  heaven.  We  have  infinitely  more 
of  dignity  and  greatness  than  those  who  are  merely 
citizens  of  this  poor,  sinful,  passing  world. 

There  is  a  way,  thank  God,  by  which  we  can  overcome 
the  world,  and  "this  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the 
world,  even  our  faith."  The  child  of  God  walks  not  by 
sight  but  by  faith.  He  does  not  surrender  his  soul  for 
the  sake  of  the  tawdry  trumperies  of  the  world.  He  re- 
fuses to  strike  his  colors  to  "the  world,  the  flesh  and  the 
devil."  He  realizes  that  the  only  true  happiness  is  found 
in  helpfulness,  and  that  sacrifice  in  sendee  produces 
abiding  peace  and  joy. 

We  have  before  us,  too,  as  both  inspiration  and  com- 
fort, the  blessed  truth  that  "the  world  passeth  away  and 
the  lust  thereof,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth 
forever."  We  look,  therefore,  in  pity  upon  the  poor 
worldlian,  who  is  poor  even  though  he  may  possess  un- 
bounded material  wealth.  With  great  serenity  of  *soul, 
we  pass  by  the  thing  that  he  clamors  for,  and  in  which  he 


36       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

finds  his  satisfaction,  and  we  say  to  him  that  we  have 
those  "riches  of  the  spirit"  that  ''treasure  in  heaven"  that 
abideth  forever,  "where  neither  moth  nor  rust  corrupt 
and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal." 
When  all  of  this  pageantry  and  pomp,  this  vain  display 
of  wealth  and  power,  when  all  this  gilt  and  glitter  have 
fallen  into  dust  forever,  the  child  of  God  will  just  he 
beginning  the  enjoyment  of  those  heavenly  beauties  and 
those  transcendent  delights  which  shall  be  ours  while 
the  years  of  eternity  roll!  These  things  are  worth  fight- 
ing for  and  suffering  for. 

When  Charles  the  Sixth  of  Austria  died  in  1748,  he 
was  the  last  of  the  direct  male  line  of  the  House  of 
Hapsburg,  and  disputes,  therefore,  immediately  arose 
regarding  the  succession  to  the  throne  and  the  possessions 
of  the  House  of  Austria.  Some  time  before  his  death, 
however,  Charles  had  bound  all  the  leading  powers  of 
Europe  in  a  sort  of  agreement,  called  "The  Pragmatic 
Sanction,"  by  the  terms  of  which,  in  case  he  should  leave 
no  son,  his  daughter,  Maria  Theresa,  should  become  his 
successor.  But  as  soon  as  Charles  died,  Frederick  of 
Prussia,  who  had  just  ascended  the  Prussian  throne,  by 
a  quick  movement  of  his  armies,  sought  to  defraud 
Theresa  of  her  dominions.  But  Queen  Theresa  fled  into 
Hungary,  and  with  all  of  a  beautiful  woman's  arts  of 
persuasion,  she  appealed  to  her  Hungarian  subjects  to 
avenge  her  wrongs.  She  gathered  the  noblemen  of 
Hungary  in  the  Parliament  chamber  and  told  them  the 
story  of  the  perfidy  of  Frederick  of  Prussia.  Her  un- 
merited sufferings,  her  beauty,  her  tears,  and,  above  all, 
the  little  prince — her  baby  boy — in  her  arms,  stirred  the 
resentment  and  kindled  the  ardent  loyalty  of  the  Hun- 
garian noblemen.     When  she  finished  her  plea,  as  one 


CHURCHES  CAPTURED  BY  THE  WORLD  37 

man  they  snatched  their  swords  from  their  scabbards, 
formed  a  circle  around  her,  and  with  the  blades  of  their 
weapons  made  over  her  a  canopy  of  gleaming  steel  as 
they  exclaimed,  ''We  will  die  for  Maria,  our  Queen!" 

On  a  sterner  field  than  this,  Jesus  Christ  is  pleading 
with  all  righteous  men  and  women  to-day  to  battle  for 
Him.  There  is  a  usurper  upon  the  throne  of  this  world 
and  Jesus,  as  the  rightful  Ruler,,  calls  us  to  tear  down  the 
strongholds  of  sin  and  Satan,  not  to  be  conformed  to 
the  world,  but  to  be  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  our 
minds,  not  to  compromise  with  iniquity,  but  to  rebuke 
evil  doers.  With  all  humility  and  Godly  fear,  we  are 
to  overcome  the  world  with  our  faith,  and  to  struggle 
on  until  that  blessed  day  when  our  Savior  Himself  will 
come  back  again,  and  when  "the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
will  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  His  Christ, 
and  He  shall  reign  forever  and  ever  !'* 


CHAPTER  III 

SLAVES   OF   FASHION:   THE   CONNECTION   BE- 
TWEEN WOMEN'S  DRESS  AND  SOCIAL  VICE 

We  cannot  escape  the  .unpleasant  fact  that  millions  of 
American  women  to-day  seem  to  be  simply  fashion  mad. 
They  are  nothing  else  but  slaves  to  "style."  There  is 
no  quarrel  here  with  woman's  instinctive  desire  to  make 
herself  as  attractive  and  beautiful  as  possible.  The 
trouble  is  with  the  women  who  make  dress  a  fetish,  and 
worship  style  as  a  god.  They  seem  to  think  and 
dream  of  nothing  on  earth  except  new  hats  and  dresses. 
And  it  makes  no  difference  how  extreme  or  hideous  the 
styles  may  be,  these  women  will  have  them  or  die.  Many 
a  girl  has  surrendered  her  soul  in  order  to  keep  up  with 
the  procession  of  fancy  dress. 

And  the  lightning  rapidity  with  which  the  styles 
change  must  give  the  thoughtful  pause,  and  cause  the 
man  of  limited  income  to  nervously  clutch  his  flabby  and 
emaciated  purse.  It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  women's 
goods  are  higher  than  any  other  class  of  merchandise. 
There  seems  to  be  a  conspiracy  between  the  dressmakers 
and  the  merchants  to  change  the  styles  as  often  as  pos- 
sible and  to  keep  the  prices  up. 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  BUSTLE 

A  few  years  ago  when  bustles  were  all  the  rage,  the 
fastidious  maiden  would  have  laughed  you  to  scorn  had 

38 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  39 

you  suggested  a  change;  yet  it  was  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore new  tendencies  became  operative  in  the  style  world, 
and  the  bustle  began  to  dwindle,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
the  tops  of  the  sleeves  began  to  swell.  The  faster  the 
bustle  dwindled,  the  more  rapidly  the  sleeves  enlarged.  The 
ladies  stopped  trying  to  float  with  a  balloon  attached  at 
the  back  and  tried  them  at  the  shoulders.  The  "big 
sleeve  girl"  was  the  idol  of  the  hour,  and  the  entire 
geography  of  the  mysterious  female  costume  had  to  be 
rewritten ! 

Then,  suddenly,  and  without  warning,  either  to  artistic 
sense  or  exhausted  pocketbook,  the  slave  masters  of 
fashion  decreed  that  the  big  part  of  the  sleeve  must  be 
at  the  bottom  instead  of  the  top.  This  necessitated  an- 
other revolution,  including  the  throwing  away  of  old 
dresses  and  the  purchase  of  new — much  to  the  delight  of 
dressmakers  and  merchants,  but  to  the  consternation  of 
the  exchequers  of  fathers  and  husbands. 

Then  came  the  ''Merry  Widow"  bonnets,  when  the 
male  half  of  congregations  went  into  total  eclipse,  and 
the  whole  earth  was  full  of  the  glory  of  hats  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea !  Then,  later,  instead  of  going  out 
at  the  sides  like  the  "Merry  Widows,"  until  an  umbrella 
dwindled  into  insignificance  beside  them,  the  hats  ran 
up  and  toppled  over  into  every  imaginable  fantastic  shape. 
And  now  we  have  a  mixture  of  the  two  styles,  and  every 
conceivable  color  of  feather  and  flower  has  been  pressed 
into  service,  until  the  sanctuary  on  Easter  Sunday  looks 
like  a  head-end  collision  between  a  flower  garden  and 
a  poultry  show! 


40       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

PRICES   HIGHWAY  ROBBERY 

The  prices  charged  for  these  "creations"  are  simply 
a  polite  form  of  highway  robbery.  They  take  a  piece 
of  straw  or  felt,  punch  it  up  in  the  middle  until  it  looks 
like  a  Texas  sombrero  gone  to  seed,  and  is  utterly  with- 
out symmetry  or  grace;  then  they  stick  a  rooster's  tail 
on  one  side  and  a  sunflower  on  the  other,  label  the  whole 
thing  "From  Paris"  and  sell  it  for  $40.00!  At  the  out- 
side limit  there  cannot  be  much  over  forty  cents'  worth 
of  actual  material  in  it,  but  it  is  a  "creation"  from  Paris, 
and  they  find  some  one  with  the  folly  to  buy  it,  and  the 
greater  folly  to  wear  it. 

At  one  time  the  skirts  were  so  wide  that  two  ladies 
filled  a  parlor,  but  anon,  the  word  was  passed  down  the 
line  from  Paris,  and  the  hobble  skirt  dawned  upon  us 
with  the  "Standing  Room  Only"  sign  displayed.  The 
public  was  much  diverted  with  the  changed  steps  of 
ladies,  as  they  tried  to  walk,  and  with  their  fantastic  con- 
tortions in  their  efforts  to  get  on  street  cars  and  climb 
the  stairs. 

BOREALIS  HOSIERY 

Then,  once  more,  the  fashion  masters  cracked  their 
whips,  and  the  skirts  were  widened  some,  but  at  the  same 
time  the  decree  was  sent  that  they  should  also  be  short- 
ened, and  the  results  were  indeed  startling.  There  fol- 
lowed an  abbreviation  of  length  that  greatly  gratified 
male  curiosity  with  a  display  of  color  effects  in  shoes  and 
hosiery  that  suggested  at  times  glimpses  of  the  Aurora 
Borealis ! 

Then  came  the  "transparent  skirt,'*  which  was  one  of 
the  most  brazen  bids  that  the  devil  ever  made  for  the 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  41 

destruction  of  the  modesty  of  American  womanhood. 
And  now,  once  more,  in  all  its  weird  wonder,  we  have  in 
our  midst  the  hobble  skirt,  so  that  the  man  of  humorous 
tendency  does  not  have  to  go  to  the  playhouse  for  a  good 
laugh.  All  he  need  do  is  to  stand  on  the  street  comer 
and  watch  the  procession.  One  woman,  slightly  pigeon- 
toed,  minces  along  as  though  she  were  walking  on  egg- 
shells; another,  faintly  slough- footed,  ambles  the  way  a 
raccoon  paces;  then  comes  another  who,  in  her  frantic 
effort  to  escape  an  automobile,  has  to  hop  across  the 
street  like  a  wounded  jaybird,  or  a  ham-strung  frog! 
And  I  did  hear  of  one  very  fat  but  very  fashionable 
old  lady  who  found  it  utterly  impossible  to  negotiate  the 
unusually  high  step  of  a  street  car,  and  who  finally 
solved  her  problem  by  sitting  down  on  the  platform  and 
pivoting  in,  greatly  to  the  diversion  of  the  strap-hangers 
and  smokers  on  the  rear  end! 

PITIFUL    SLAVES 

Why  will  they  do  it?  Why  i_s  it  that  even  Christian 
women,  who  in  all  other  ways  are  sensible,  will  be  so 
swept  off  their  feet  as  to  don  such  absurdities  in  dress 
that  they  are  made  ridiculous  ?  Why  do  they  do  it  ?  We 
answer  it  is  the  slavery  of  fashion.  The  shrinking  of 
human  beings  from  being  unlike  other  people,  and  their 
desire  to  be  conformed  to  the  world.  But  Christians 
should  not  be  conformed  to  the  world,  but  rather  "trans- 
formed*' by  the  renewing  of  their  minds. 

How  cruel  and  horrible,  often,  are  fashion's  behests! 
It  causes  the  Chinese  girl  to  so  bandage  and  confine  her 
feet  that  walking  becomes  living  torture  and  even  hours 
given  to  sleep  are  broken  by  bitter  pain.     It  causes  the 


42       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

woman  of  Lake  Nyassa  to  insert  a  piece  of  stone  or 
metal  in  her  upper  lip,  enlarging  it  from  time  to  time 
until  speaking  becomes  awkward  and  painful,  and  the 
entire  lip  is  sometimes  torn  away.  It  drives  many  Amer- 
ican women  to  wear  uncomfortable  and  harmful  shoes, 
and  to  lace  themselves  until  forms  are  ruined  and  health 
is  wrecked;  and  it  leads  other  thousands  to  adopt  the 
absurdest  extremes  of  fashion,  or  to  make  an  exposure 
of  their  bodies  such  that  under  right  standards  ever}r 
sense  of  modesty  would  be  shocked  and  every  canon  of 
womanly  delicacy  feel  outraged. 

Some  women  complain  that  the  men  of  to-day  are 
losing  respect  for  them.  Can  you  wonder  at  it,  when 
they  practice  such  folly?  Other  women  complain  that 
men  are  impure.  Let  them  take  heed  that  they  do  not 
unconsciously  pander  to  the  lower  natures  of  men  by 
the  exposures  to  which  the  slave  masters  of  fashion  drive 
them. 

EVE  AND  THE  APPLES 

Two  friends  some  time  ago  were  at  the  theater.  As 
they  looked  across  the  expanse  of  gleaming  shoulders, 
breasts  and 'arms,  one  said  to  the  other:  *'Ji"^'  <i<^^s  not 
the  Bible  teach  that  after  Adam  and  Eve  ate  the  for- 
bidden apple  they  knew  that  they  were  naked?"  "Yes," 
replied  the  other,  '1  think  so."  "Well  then,  Jim,"  said 
the  inquirer,  "from  appearances  here,  don't  you  think  it 
is  about  time  to  pass  the  apples  again?" 

Do  the  good  women  of  to-day,  who  allow  themselves 
to  conform  to  the  degenerate  fashions  that  are  imported 
from  Paris,  really  know  the  harm  that  they  often  do  by 
their  extreme  and  questionable  styles  of  dress?  If  some 
of  our  ladies,  when  they  attend  the  ball  or  theater  or 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  43 

walk  the  streets  in  garments  that  look  as  though  they 
had  been  taken  out  of  a  nightmare,  and  so  abbreviated  as 
not  decently  to  cover  their  forms, — if  some  of  the  ladies 
thus  attired  could  see  the  old  men  and  the  young  men  turn 
and  gaze  at  them,  and  could  hear  their  remarks,  they 
would  understand  the  profound  harm  that  they  do  by 
such  thoughtlessness  in  the  matter  of  dress.  For  the 
sake  of  being  considered  "smart,"  they  help  to  destroy 
man's  respect  and  veneration  for  womanhood,  and  thus 
make  it  easier  for  men  to  surrender  to  their  lower  pas- 
sions, and  drift  into  sin.  The  slavish  following  of  for- 
eign fashions  has  been  an  ally  of  vice  for  years,  in  all 
our  cities. 

A    CLEAN   YOUNG    MAN'S    CONFESSION 

One  of  the  finest  things  which  I  have  seen  in  this  entire 
discussion  since  I  raised  the  question  of  woman's  dress  in 
the  sermon  on  the  "Bal  Bleu"  ball,  came  from  a  young 
college  man  who  withholds  his  name,  but  who  contributed 
a  statement  to  the  "Physical  Culture"  magazine.  He 
writes  anonymously,  and,  therefore,  we  know  that  he 
has  given  an  honest  statement.     He  says: 

"As  I  have  said,  I  am  twenty-five  years  old,  and  I  have 
kept  myself  as  clean  physically  as  any  girl  who  has  ever 
lived.  Mentally  I  am  unclean.  Why?  Because  the  women 
I  know  will  not  let  me  be  clean.  They  are  good  girls, 
I  know;  tall  and  straight  and  strong,  clear  eyed  and  red 
cheeked,  wonderfully  alive  and  full  of  good  health  and 
good  spirits.  I  know  that  such  physically  good  speci- 
mens of  womanhood  could  not  have  lived  or  thought 
wrongly,  for  they  have  the  hall  marks  of  clean  living  and 
clean  thinking  written  all  over  them.  I  respect  them  all, 
but  still  they  constitute  my  moral  problem.     Bad  liter- 


44       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ature  we  boys  can  leave  alone.  We  can  select  the  shows 
we  attend.  Our  girl  friends  we  have  no  way  of  escap- 
ing as  long  as  we  stay  in  an  institution  that  is  co-edsca- 
tional." 


Then  he  tells  us  of  the  struggles  of  a  young  man  to 
keep  himself  pure  under  the  conditions  of  to-day.     He 
says,  *Tirst  of  all,  there  is  the  ever  present,  ever  function- 
ing sex  instinct,  a  hand-me-down  from  the  primitive  ages 
when  man  was  polygamous."    Then  he  tells  of  the  way 
"in  which  the  stories  and  illustrations,  even  in  some  of 
/the  high-class  magazines,   and   the  theatrical   perform- 
jances,  etc.,  to-day,  tend  to  make  more  difficult  a  young 
I  man's  struggle  to  keep  himself  pure,  because  they  keep 
so  constantly  before  his  mind  the  sex  idea.    Then  he  says, 
* 'Finally  comes  the  thing  that  to  most  of  us  is  the  biggest 
stumbling  block,  the  manner  in  which  our  women  friends 
clothe  themselves." 

Then  he  tells  how  their  girl  friends  dress  with  their 
short  skirts  and  bare  upper  bodies  and  gauzy  trans- 
parencies, so  thin  at  times  that  he  says  if  the  girl  has 
miscalculated  the  capacity  of  her  skirts,  it  is  sometimes 
true  that  "her  form  stands  silhouetted  in  our  bripiit 
western  sun."    Then  he  asks  honestly  and  earnestly : 

"What  is  a  fellow  going  to  do?  We  don't  go  around 
looking  for  these  things,  but  we  cannot  help  seeing  them. 
No  matter  how  much  one  may  respect  a  girl,  it  is  an 
effort  for  him  to  keep  his  thoughts  from  straying  when 
she  exposes  too  much  of  her  body  in  the  way  she  does. 
An  instinct  that  is  always  ready  to  spring  into  action 
is  usually  started  to  function  very  easily,  and  as  the  in- 
stinct is  psychological  it  seems  to  be  the  psychological' 
element  of  curiosity  that  starts  it  to  functioning." 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  45 

CATERING    TO    MASCULINE    CURIOSITY 

This  young  fellow,  who  is  writing  in  this  fine,  honest 
way,  then  makes  this  point,  which  I  think  is  the  funda- 
mental point  in  the  whole  matter  of  the  connection  of 
women's  dress  and  vice.  He  says  plainly  that  the  real 
evil  in  present  styles  is  not  so  much  the  exposure  as  it  is 
the  evident  catering  to  curiosity  and  the  emphasis  upon 
the  sex  idea.  He  says  truly  that  in  the  case  of  the  bath- 
ing suit  or  the  gymnasium  suit,  where  it  is  really  neces- 
sary to  have  abbreviated  garments,  it  is  ''rarely  the  cause 
of  morbid  thoughts  among  normal  men."    Then  he  says : 

"It  is  the  clothing  that  only  half  conceals  the  limbs 
and  the  body  that  is  suggestive.  I  know  from  the  con- 
tact that  I  have  had  with  so  many  college  boys  that  the 
sensual  thing  about  women's  dress  is  that  which  neither 
conceals  nor  discloses  the  body  of  the  wearer.  It  is  de- 
signed to  show  as  much  as  society  will  allow,  and  the 
psychological  tendency  to  complete  in  the  mind  the  ob- 
ject that  is  imperfectly  seen  does  the  rest.  It  is  the 
imagination  that  is  called  into  play  that  does  the  havoc." 

Then  he  quotes  from  his  roommate,  who  was  in  the 
same  struggle  as  this  young  man  to  keep  himself  pure, 
and  who  unburdened  himself  after  a  dance  one  night,  as 
follows : 

/    "Darn  the  way  these  girls  dress!    If  they  are  going 
jwear  clothes  at  all,  why  don't  they  wear  enough  to  cover 
lithemselves  up?" 


to  I 

7 


This  manly  young  fellow,  who  is  evidently  making  a 
noble  battle  for  masculine  purity,  then  says  of  women 
whom  he  knows  to  be  innocent  of  any  real  design  to  do 
wrong : 


46       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

"Why  should  they  go  on  dressing  in  a  way  to  accentu- 
ate the  sex  tendency?  The  young  man  who  is  trying 
his  utmost  to  keep  himself  clean  for  the  sake  of  the 
woman  he  will  marry  sometime  in  the  future,  has  trou- 
ble enough  without  his  sisters  throwing  a  monkeywrench 
into  his  moral  machinery.'* 

Then  he  adds  very  truly : 

*'The  biggest  moral  battles  that  have  ever  been  fought 
have  been  by  big,  two  fisted,  men's  men  who  have  kept 
themselves  clean." 


THE   PREVALENCE   OF   THE   SEX    APPEAL 

Good  for  this  young  man !  He  has  hit  the  whole  nail 
squarely  on  the  head,  and  there  is  no  answer  to  this 
experience  from  real  life  which  he  gives.  The  greatest 
evil  in  modern  styles  is  the  fact  that  the  present  tendency 
toward  undress  is  so  obviously  for  the  purpose  of  direct- 
ing attention  to  the  sex  idea.  This  idea  is  tremendously 
overemphasized  in  our  modern  life  any  way.  It  is  fired 
at  us  from  the  magazines,  both  the  pictures  in  them  and 
the  stories.  It  is  literally  rubbed  all  over  us  in  the  moving 
picture  show  and  the  modern  theater,  it  screams  at  us 
from  the  pages  of  the  novels  of  to-day,  and,  that  no 
man  may  escape,  it  parades  itself  in  the  follies  of  woman^s 
styles. 

The  true  object  of  dress  is  for  utility  and  beauty,  and 
not  for  sex  appeal,  and  it  would  be  just  as  logical  for 
men  to  begin  to  dress  with  an  end  to  sex  appeal  as  it  is 
for  the  women  to  do  so.  If  present  tendencies  continue, 
and  we  go  a  little  further  with  the  process  of  "elimina- 
tion," then  I  suppose  that  in  the  not  distant  future,  we 
will  have  both  men  and  women  in  a  state  of  complete 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  47 

freedom  from  all  clothing,  which  will  finish  the  circle 
and  bring  us  back  to  the  point  from  which  the  savages 
started  out. 

Women  are  complaining  to-day  of  the  "double  stand- 
ard of  morals,"  and  they  do  right  to  complain;  but,  iq 
Heaven's  name,  let  them  be  consistent  and  not  by  their 
mode  of  dressing,  their  dances,  and  other  follies  uncon- 
sciously foster  the  very  double  standard  of  morals  which 
they  so  righteously  denounce.  A  fossilized  octogenarian, 
or  a  self-complacent  mollycoddle,  with  ice  water  in  his 
veins,  may  be  able  to  look  at  the  sights  which  any  man 
can  see  in  modern  society  to-day,  and  in  the  dance  hold 
in  his  arms  a  throbbing,  beaiitifid  young  woman,  with 
almost  half  her  body  exposed,  and  the  other  half  clothed 
largely  with  good  intentions — such  a  man,  I  say,  under 
these  circumstances  may  maintain  a  philosophical  calm, 
but  any  young  fellow  with  red  blood  in  his  veins  and  the 
elemental  forces  of  nature  operating  in  him,  cannot  so 
easily  do  so, 

THE  BIBLE  TEACHING  ON   WOMAN's  DRESS 

The  really  eamest-souled  women  of  to-day  need  to 
take  these  things  more  seriously  to  heart.  They  need 
to  heed  what  the  Bible  says  upon  the  subject  of  correct 
dress.  They  need  to  read  again,  for  example,  I  Peter, 
third  chapter,  and  the  third  to  the  fourth  verses,  where, 
in  referring  to  woman's  dress,  it  says : 

"Whose  adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  outward  adorn- 
ing of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of 
putting  on  of  apparel;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart,  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible,  even  the  orna- 
ment of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight 


48       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

of  God  of  great  price.  For  after  this  manner,  in  the  old 
time,  the  holy  women  also,  who  trusted  in  God,  adorned 
themselves." 

They  need  to  read  also  I  Timothy,  second  chapter, 
ninth  and  tenth  verses,  where  it  is  written : 

"In  like  manner  also,  that  women  adorn  themselves 
in  modest  apparel,  with  quietness  and  sobriety ;  not  with 
braided  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array:  But 
(which  becometh  women  professing  godliness)  with  good 
works." 

The  conditions  in  our  country  and  in  the  world  to-day 
are  too  tragic  and  serious  for  the  very  strongest  and  most 
capable  elements  of  our  society  to  fritter  away  valuable 
time,  money,  and  effort  on  mere  frivolity,  when  there  is 
so  much  that  is  noble  and  truly  constructive  to  challenge 
our  attention  and  to  invite  our  efforts. 

I  once  heard  one  of  the  most  famous  reform  work- 

>  ers  of  this  city  explain  why  she  gave  up  low-cut  gowns. 

;■  She  explained  how  she  was  ready  to  start  to  the  theater 

i   one  night  in  such  a  dress,  when  her  little  boy  of  five 

I    said  to  her,  "But,  mother,  you  are  not  going  that  way? 

?    You  are  not  dressed."    And  then,  with  trembling  voice, 

I     she  told  us  how  all  the  evening  through,  as  she  sat  in 

the  playhouse,  she  kept  hearing  that  sweet  childish  voice 

saying,  "Not  dressed!  Not  dressed!  Not  dressed!"  until 

at  last  with  the  blush  of  shame  mantling  her  cheeks,  and 

with  the  realization  that  a  Christian  mother  should  dress 

differently   from  the   idle   and   Godless  women  of  the 

world,  she  drew  her  cloak  about  her  and  went  home, 

dressed — or  rather  undressed — for  the  last  time  in  such 

a  costume!     And  after  this  experience  she  consecrated 

her  life  fully  to  Jesus  Christ  in  the  holy  work  of  help- 


SLAVES  OF  FASHION  49 

ing  to  save  and  lift  up  the  wayward  girls  of  New  York.  | 
She  went  down  into  ''Mulberry  Bend"  and  other  sections,  i 
and  literally  took  those  dear  children  out  of  the  haunts  j 
of  sin  and  shame.     She  carried  them  to  the  home  which 
she  founded  for  that  purpose,  and  she  has  given  her 
long  and  wonderful  life  to  this  blessed  work.     Doesn't 
that  sound  a  little  better  for  a  Christian  woman  than  the 
"Bal  Bleu"  ball? 

These  are  tremendously  serious  and  important  things. 
The  most  sinister  and  menacing  figure  of  our  modern 
life  is  the  cigarette  smoking,  cocktail  drinking,  pug  dog 
nursing,  half-dressed,  painted  woman,  who  frequents  the 
theaters,  giggles  at  the  cabarets,  gambles  in  our  drawing- 
roomys  or  sits  around  our  hotels,  with  her  dress  cut  "C" 
in  front  and  "V"  behind!  She  is  a  living  invitation  to 
lust,  and  a  walking  advertisement  of  the  fact  that  many 
of  our  modern  women  have  lowered  their  standards  of 
life! 

A  NATIONAL  COSTUME 

Our  country,  we  believe,  has  the  finest,  strongest, 
sanest  and  most  beautiful  women  on  earth.  May  we 
not  hope,  therefore,  that  the  day  will  soon  come  when 
American  women  will  assert  their  independence  and  re- 
fuse longer  to  pattern  after  the  degenerate  women  of 
Paris  in  their  styles?  Let  the  gifted  and  noble  women 
of  this  age,  who  are  rising  in  ever  greater  numbers, 
break  this  bondage,  and  they  will  serve  thereby  not  only 
the  forces  that  are  making  for  decency,  purity  and 
health,  but  they  will  also  serve  the  great  cause  of  justice 
to  womanhood  at  every  point,  for  the  "woman  move- 
ment" of  to-day  is  hindered  by  these  follies.  We  assert 
our  individuality  and  independence  in  other  ways.    Why 


so        THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY  • 

should  we  not  develop  in  America  a  distinct  and  beauti- 
ful national  costume,  as  did  the  Greeks  in  their  age  and 
as  the  Japanese  people,  for  a  modern  example,  have  done 
to-day?  Such  a  costume  would  not  only  serve  the  cause 
of  common-sense  and  true  economy,  in  this  age  of  stag- 
gering high  prices,  but  it  would  also  serve  the  cause  of 
art  and  beauty,  by  giving  a  wholesome  and  attractive 
substitute  to  take  the  place  of  the  hybrid  monstrosities 
of  fashion,  which  are  now  brought  from  abroad  to  de- 
plete our  pocket-books  and  debase  our  taste! 

Oh,  for  the  sturdiness  of  a  true  independence  to-day ! 
It  is  glorious  to  see  Caleb  withstanding  the  clamor  of 
the  other  spies  and  following  the  Lord  only.  It  is  glori- 
ous to  see  Shadrack,  Meshack  and  Abednego,  alone  amid 
thousands  of  hostile  people,  going  into  the  fiery  furnace 
rather  than  consenting  to  bow  down  to  a  false  God.  It 
is  magnificent  to  see  Daniel  refusing  to  serve  his  own 
personal  interests  by  compliance  with  heathen  customs, 
but  choosing  rather  to  open  his  window  toward  Jerusa- 
lem and  praying  three  times  a  day,  "as  he  did  aforetime." 
That  was  the  putting  of  a  right  fashion  against  a  false 
fashion !  It  is  glorious  to  see  Martin  Luther  alone  against 
the  world,  starting  a  new  fashion  of  freedom  and  un- 
flinchingly standing  by  his  convictions  of  truth.  Any 
fool  or  weakling  can  drift  with  the  current,  but  it  takes 
strength  and  heroism  to  breast  the  tide ! 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   AWFUL   CORRUPTION   OF   THE   MODERN 
THEATER:  SHOULD  CHRISTIANS  ATTEND? 

I  BRING  here  no  arraignment  of  the  drama  or  of  dra- 
matic art.  A  theater  of  proper  character  and  under 
proper  control  might  be  made  an  agency  for  great  good. 
Personally,  I  have  been  a  student  and  a  devotee  of 
dramatic  art  all  my  life.  For  years  I  had  the  privilege 
of  teaching  oratory  and  the  interpretation  of  literature 
in  one  of  our  universities,  and  I  recognize,  therefore,  the 
place  of  the  drama  in  the  scheme  of  human  life;  for  this 
art  is  capable  of  serving  the  human  race  in  high  and 
glorious  ways. 

THE  theater's  RELIGIOUS  ORIGIN 

The  modem  theater  really  began  under  Christian 
auspices,  with  the  "Miracle  Plays"  and  other  BibHcal 
themes;  and  even  when  secular  plays  were  introduced, 
the  theater  was  still  largely  under  Christian  control.  In 
1548  the  Paris  "Con-fraternity  of  the  Trinity"  built  a 
theater,  which  was  licensed,  as  they  expressed  it,  to  per- 
form "profane  pieces  of  lawful  and  honest  character." 
But  this  early  ideal  has  been  abandoned  in  large  part, 
and  the  theater  to-day  is  following  the  influences  and 
ideals  of  the  Greek  playhouse,  which  had  its  origin  in 
the  degraded  revels  inspired  by  the  god  of  w^ine,  Bac- 

51 


52       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

chus.  The  first  Greek  theater  was  simply  an  open  space 
near  the  temple  of  Bacchus,  where  the  chorus  danced 
about  the  altar  of  the  god. 

Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  in  his  ^'History  of  Amuse- 
ments," says: 

"Dramatic  representation  had  its  origin  among  the 
Greeks  with  a  troupe  of  bacchanalians  in  rude  and  bois- 
terous songs,  interspersed  with  dances,  conducted  with 
a  high  degree  of  licentiousness  both  in  language  and 
action.'' 

This  same  author  says  further: 

"Theatrical  exhibitions  became  popular  amusements 
among  the  Romans,  just  as  they  lost  their  stern  love  of 
virtue,  yielded  to  luxury,  and  grew  weak  and  effeminate." 

Beyond  any  question  the  playhouse  to-day  is  following 
its  Greek  rather  than  its  Christian  heredity.  No  one 
who  knows  conditions  to-day  can  deny  these  things.  The 
modern  theater  has  so  lowered  its  ideals  that  any  ad- 
vantage w^e  might  secure  through  it  to  the  artistic  and 
esthetic  nature  is  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  harm 
it  does  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  nature.  It  is  poor 
wisdom  to  wade  a  river  of  slime  and  filth  to  secure  an 
apple.  And  to  have  to  wade  through  the  moral  mire  of 
the  modern  theater  is  not  worth  the  apple  of  "art." 

THE  THEATER   CONDEMNED   BY   ITS   OWN    FRIENDS 

The  playhouse  is  its  own  worst  enemy,  and  the  most 
scathing  criticisms  of  it  to-day  come  from  those  who 
know  it  best  and  who  naturally  are  most  friendly  to  it. 
Dramatic  art  has  just  about  been  destroyed  in  the  house 
of   its    friends,   by   the   conditions   that   prevail   in  the 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  53 

modern  theater.  In  his  recent  book  on  the  "Popular 
Theater/'  Mr.  George  Jean  Nathan,  after  fourteen  years 
of  dramatic  criticism  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
theater,  its  plays,  and  its  people,  is  evidently  so  discour- 
aged with  the  institution,  that  he  seems  to  be  practically 
disgusted  with  it.     He  reaches  the  conclusion  that 

"the  place  of  the  theater  in  the  community  is  infinitely 
less  the  place  of  the  university,  the  studio,  and  the  art 
gallery,  than  the  place  of  the  circus,  the  rathskeller  and 
the  harem." 

And  as  discriminating  a  mind  as  that  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam Winters  was  also  emphatically  discouraged  concern- 
ing the  modern  theater.  In  an  article  in  the  Philadelphia 
Ledger,  sometime  sinc€,  Mr.  Winters  said,  among  other 
very  scathing  things : 

"The  condition  of  the  American  theater  at  the  present 
time,  however,  is  in  some  ways  peculiarly  deplorable,  and 
such  as  no  judicious  lover  of  dramatic  art  can  consider 
without  a  mingled  feeling  of  resentment  and  sorrow. 
That  condition  will  not  be  improved  by  pusillanimous 
praise — the  empty  adulation  of  writers  who  wish  to  ride 
into  prosperous  popularity  by  celebrating  the  present  time 
as  the  Golden  Age  of  Everything  on  Earth." 

The  plays  that  are  to  be  found  upon  the  boards  in 
these  later  times,  he  calls  "noxious  trash,"  "pictures  of 
the  proceedings  of  infatuated  fools  and  sentimental  de- 
mireps from  the  'seamy  side'  of  life."  And  he  says  again: 

"The  fact  is  that  the  direction  of  the  theater  has  been 
almost  entirely  usurped  by  illiterate,  unscrupulous  specu- 
lators, solicitous  for  monetary  gain  and  the  gratification 
of  their  vanity,  and  under  such  managerial  dominance, 
the  theater,  practically,  has  been  surrendered  to  an  un- 


54       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

couth,  ignorant,  ill-conditioned  democracy,  unfit  to  direct 
anything;  and  intellect,  judgment,  and  taste  are  invited 
to  accept  and  applaud  bad  for  good,  right  for  wrong, 
filth  for  purity,  ugliness  for  beauty,  the  manifestation  of 
disease  and  decay  for  'progress/  " 


A    JEWISH    RABBI    ON    THE   THEATER 

This  is  all  in  line  with  what  was  recently  said  by 
Rabbi  Stephen  S.  Wise,  in  his  sermon  before  the  Free 
Synagogue  of  New  York,  in  which  he  declared  that  "as 
a  business,  the  theater  is  the  dirtiest  business  in  America 
to-day."  Dr.  Wise  is  the  Rabbi  of  the  largest  Jewish 
congregation  of  New  York,  and  he  is  in  a  position  to 
know  what  he  is  talking  about  when  he  speaks  of  the 
modern  theater,  because  the  'Theater  Trust"  is  com- 
posed almost  entirely  of  a  handful  of  Hebrews.  Dr. 
Wise  said  further:     ^ 

"I  carry  in  mind  one  show  in  particular,  that  I  saw 
only  last  week  in  one  of  the  leading  theaters  of  the  city. 
I  am  told  there  are  a  dozen  shows  equally  as  bad  in  the 
city.  It  was  nothing  less  than  the  work  of  moral  scav- 
engers and  filth  producers.  It  was  the  product  of  moral 
leprosy.  The  stage  was  filled  with  half-dressed  women 
— though  no  more  so  than  the  boxes  of  the  theater  itself, 
or  the  lobbies  of  the  average  hotel.  It  was  the  vulgar 
incarnation  of  impurity,  spun  about  a  display  of  hosiery 
and  underwear." 

Dr.  Wise  also  arraigned  the  press,  asserting  that  it 
does  not  give  the  public  honest  criticisms  of  the  theater. 

''Only  last  week  in  another  city,"  he  said,  "I  saw  an 
advertisement  of  a  former  Broadway  attraction  It  read : 
'Go  to  the  Blank  Theater  and  see  a  classy,  girly,  jazzy 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  55 

show/  Could  anything  be  more  impudently  or  sala- 
ciously  suggestive?  Why  can't  critics  say :  'This  is  a  dis- 
gusting, foul,  salacious  play'?  Why  should  people  per- 
mit newspapers  to  lie  to  them  about  amusements?  Are 
the  newspapers  of  New  York  going  to  let  two  or  three 
or  four  men  dictate  what  is  said  about  the  greatest  of 
arts — men  without  the  remotest  idea  of  responsibility? 
I  wish  we  could  put  some  of  these  'chain  theater'  men 
in  chains.'* 

"moral  leprosy" 

These  deplorable  and  disgusting  conditions  are  char- 
acteristic of  the  theater,  as  an  institution.  They  prevail 
not  only  in  New  York  but  in  all  of  our  cities.  The 
theater — the  institution  itself — as  Rabbi  Wise  truly  says, 
is  suffering  from  ''moral  leprosy."  In  the  report  of  the 
famous  Vice  Commission  of  Chicago,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing statement  (on  pages  246  and  248)  concerning  con- 
ditions as  uncovered  by  that  able  and  impartial  Com- 
mission. The  investigator,  who  looked  into  these  con- 
ditions for  the  Commission,  says  in  the  report : 

"The  investigation  of  dance  halls,  cheap  theaters, 
amusement  parks  and  lake  steamers,  show  that  these 
places  are  surrounded  by  vicious  dangers  and  tempta- 
tions which  result  in  sending  many  young  girls  into  lives 
of  immorality,  professional  and  clandestine.  The  im- 
moral influences  back  of  the  stage  are  very  bad.  I  know 
of  one  case  where  two  girls  and  two  fellows  simply  shut 
the  doors  of  one  of  the  dressing  rooms,  and  stayed  there 
for  a  long  while,  and  step  by  step  the  downfall  of  the 
girls  was  brought  about.  Many  theaters  have  little  dress- 
ing rooms,  and  many  of  the  girls  stay  there  over  night. 
Many  girls  sell  themselves  in  order  to  get  on  the  stage 
before  the  public.  Then  they  find  they  can  make  easy 
money.    Their  one  idea  is  to  get  before  the  public." 


S6       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

The  utmost  audacity  of  immoral  display,  as  Dr.  Wise 
truly  said,  is  often  seen  in  what  are  called  the  *'best 
theaters."     Another  investigator  says  : 

''Some  of  the  so-called  best  people  in  the  profession 
are  using  the  shimmy  shake  in  song,  dance  and  panto- 
mime. Barefoot  dancing  with  naked  limbs  being  shown 
through  transparent  nets,  abbreviated  skirts,  with  flesh 
colored  tights,  emphasizing  the  form  and  contour  ol  the 
body  by  effective  colored  lights,  are  all  a  part  of  the 
nefarious  business  which  escapes  the  ban  under  the  guise 
of  'art.'  'The  Passing  Show'  appeals  to  the  baser  desire 
of  the  sexes.  Even  the  advertising  is  full  of  nasty,  dirty, 
ugly  meaning.  Posters  of  women  partly  in  the  nude, 
with  boldly  displayed  titles  such  as  'Twin  Beds,'  'The 
Virgin  Widow'  and  'French  Frolics,'  are  placed  in  every 
conceivable  space  where  they  will  attract  men,  young  and 
old.  Very  often  the  programs  in  the  higher  grade  houses 
contain  advertising  that  carries  a  double  meaning." 

CORRUPTION  THROUGH  CARNIVALS,  ETC. 

Here,  then,  is  the  picture  of  the  modern  theater  as 
drawn  by  its  friends  and  by  very  impartial  investigators. 
And,  mind  you,  the  foregoing  scathing  arraignment  in- 
cluded the  so-called  "better  class"  theaters.  When  we 
get  down  to  the  cheap  "troupes"  that  tour  the  smaller 
towns  and  cities,  we  find  conditions  that  are  positively 
nauseating!  Here,  for  example,  is  an  account  of  the 
experiences  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  New  York 
Civic  League  in  connection  with  one  of  the  "Carnival" 
troupes  that  are  now  touring  the  country  giving  their 
carnival  and  theatrical  shows.  He  says  of  this  one  which 
he  attended : 

"At  the  carnival  just  referred  to  they  also  had  a  most 
shocking,  immoral  'Women's  Show.'     The  three  pretty, 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  57 

but  of  course  lewd,  women  came  out  on  a  platform  in 
front  of  the  tent  in  which  they  gave  their  show.  Their 
manager,  in  trying  to  give  the  large  number  of  young 
men  there  an  idea  of  what  kind  of  a  show  they  would 
see  if  they  would  pay  their  20  cents  and  go  into  the  tent, 
made  the  most  vile  and  foul  hints  and  suggestions  as  to 
what  they  would  see  in  the  tent — a  continual  appeal  to 
the  very  lowest  and  basest  elements  in  human  nature. 
The  lewd  women  in  that  show  performed  vile  'oriental' 
dances  and  the  nasty  'hoochee-koochee'  dance,  and  went 
through  other  revolting  physical  contortions,  intended  to 
arouse  the  lower  passions  of  the  young  men  present. 
When  that  show  was  over  the  manager  jumped  up  and 
said  before  the  audience  left :  'Say,  boys,  wait  a  minute. 
Can  you  stand  anything  stronger?  Would  you  like  to 
see  the  girls  go  the  limit?'  Of  course  many  yelled :  'Yes, 
sure.'  Then  he  said :  'Well,  if  you  will  pay  a  quarter 
more  you  can  go  into  the  back  room  of  the  tent,  and  see 
something  that  will  stir  your  blood.  This  is  the  same/ 
show  we  give  in  the  winter  time  before  clubs  in  the  cities,^ 
and  get  a  dollar  each  admission.  You  can  see  it  to-night' 
for  a  quarter,  and  if  after  you  see  it  you  don't  think  you 
got  your  money's  worth  tell  me  so  as  you  go  out  and  I'll 
return  your  money.'  " 

This  observer  then  describes  the  revolting  and  shame- 
ful indecencies  which  occurred  in  that  back  room.  These 
things  cannot  be  described  here.  But  that  show  was  al- 
lowed to  go  on  several  days  longer,  and  these  lewd  per- 
formances were  given  every  half  hour,  including  all  day 
Sunday!  Think  of  such  a  show  running  on  Sunday! 
And  think  of  its  ruinous  effects  on  the  morals  and  health 
of  the  young  men  of  that  town!  The  Superintendent 
of  the  New  York  Civic  League,  who  saw  these  things 
personally,  quotes  facts  later  given  him  by  one  of  the 
physicians  of  the  town  in  which  that  carnival  and  show 
were  given,  proving  that 


58       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

"more  than  loo  young  men  in  that  town  of  5,000  people 
contracted  venereal  diseases  from  that  one  carnival!  Yet 
these  young  men  were  to  be  the  future  husbands  of  the 
pure,  trusting  young  women  of  that  town.  What  untold 
sorrow,  pain  and  domestic  tragedies  await  them!" 

Can  we  not  almost  smell  the  sulphur  of  hell  and  see 
the  cloven  hoof  of  the  devil  in  such  things  as  these? 

This  is  plain  talk,  but  surely  plain  talk  is  needed,  be- 
cause our  boys  and  girls  are  being  caught,  often  un- 
warned, in  these  traps  of  the  evil  one.  Happily  we  are 
getting  away  from  that  false  modesty  which  is  not  will- 
ing to  talk  about  such  evils  in  order  that  they  may  be 
exposed  and  corrected,  but  is  willing  to  tolerate  them  in 
guilty  silence.  We  are  now  substituting  the  challenging 
tones  of  truth  for  this  cowardly  and  prudish  reserve. 
Surely  we  need  the  creation  of  a  public  conscience  on 
this  issue. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  a  newspaper  friend.  Rev.  Dr. 
Robert  Watson,  Rev.  Dr.  Chas.  H.  Parkhurst  and  my- 
self were  given  the  opportunity  of  seeing  the  so-called 
play,  "Aphrodite,"  that  we  might  protest  to  the  mayor 
against  it,  and  seek  to  stop  it.  I  sat  through  the  entire 
performance  as  a  disagreeable  duty,  as  we  wished  to  be 
able  to  testify  at  first  hand  concerning  it. 

This  show  is  a  challenge,  not  merely  to  religious  con- 
victions but  to  elemental  decency.  It  is  an  affront  to  the 
intelligence,  as  well  as  to  the  moral  ideals,  of  our  citizen- 
ship. It  is  not  "art" ;  it  is  abomination.  It  is  not  "love" ; 
it  is  lust.  It  is  the  apotheosis  of  everything  that  is  vile 
and  degrading. 

From  beginning  to  end  there  was  not  a  single  appeal 
to  the  intellect,  or  even  to  any  right  or  decent  sentiment 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  59 

Nothing  was  left  to  the  imagination.  Every  appeal  was 
merely  to  the  sensuous  and  the  fleshly. 

It  was  a  nightmare  of  nude  men  and  women,  with 
bare-legged  negro  men,  in  addition  to  the  white  men, 
squirming  in  and  out  and  rubbing  against  the  practically 
naked  white  girls.  It  was  an  orgy  of  sensuality  and 
shame,  with  men  and  women,  in  a  condition  of  almost 
complete  undress,  hugging  each  other,  and  slobbering 
over  each  other,  and  lolling  on  couches  with  each  other, 
and  dancing  in  feigned  drunken  revelry  together. 

What  possible  good  can  come  to  our  modern  life  from 
digging  up  this  filth  from  the  "Grove  of  Aphrodite,"  etc., 
which  destroyed  that  ancient  civilization  in  which  it  was 
allowed  to  flourish?  What  possible  "art"  or  entertain- 
ment can  there  be  in  the  silly  cavorting  of  harlots  and 
degenerates  ? 

SMALL-POX  AND  IMMORALITY 

Is  it  not  a  terrific  arraignment  of  the  moral  torpor  of 
our  citizenship  that  so  little  is  said  and  done  about  these 
truly  horrible  conditions?  And  is  it  not  amazing  that 
Christian  people  should  think  it  strange  and  ''extreme" 
tJiat  a  preacher  should  cry  out  against  these  eznls  that 
are  not  only  corrupting  the  morals  of  our  youth,  hut 
that  are  striking  at  the  health  and  the  very  life  of  the 
race  I  What  an  indication  of  our  mental  and  moral 
paralysis  to-day! 

New  York  has  seen  so  much  of  these  evils  and  they 
have  been  tolerated  so  long,  and  patronized  by  church 
people,  that_I  verilv  believe  if  acts  of  open  shame  were 
jortrayed  on  the  stage  as  a  part  of  some  "show."  there 
would  be  only  a  ripple  of  half -amused  surprise,  and  per- 
haps a  mild  protest  or  two  that  it  was  "bad  form."    Some 


6o       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

'theater  managers  have  come  almost  up  to  that  point  to- 
day, and  if  the  pubHc  conscience  Hes  dormant  much 
longer,  will  not  some  one  of  them,  more  daring  than 
the  rest,  go  the  limit  of  indecency?  This  would  not  be 
much  worse,  indeed,  than  some  of  the  things  that  have 
been  said  and  done  already  on  our  stage,  about  which 
there  has  been  no  great  outcry  of  indignation.  We  are 
too  self-complacent  in  New  York  in  our  familiarity  with 
these  things.    The  words  of  Pope  apply : 

"Vice  is  a  monster  of  so  frightful  mien, 
As  to  be  hated  needs  but  to  be  seen ; 
Yet  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 
We  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  embrace." 

'     If  it  were  known  that,  in  that  section  of  the  city  along 

Broadway  and  42nd  and  nearby  streets,  men,  in  order 

that  they  might  make  mpney,  were  selling  food  or  milk 

that  was  notoriously  laden  with  germs  of  awful  diseases 

— diseases  that  were  destroying  the  bodies  of  the  people, 

I    actually  killing  many  of  them,  would  such  a  condition 

\  be  tolerated  for  a  single  day?     Would  there  not  be  an 

vactive  conscience  over  it?     Would  not  the  wisdom  and 

the  moral  judgment  of  the  community  arise  in  hot  anger 

and  indignant  protest,  and  stop  such  a  diabolical  traffic? 

But  is  it  not  even  worse  to  tolerate  conditions  at  the 

very  heart  ot  this  city  that  wreck  tHe  spirituaLbodifiS-Oi^ 

mr  youth  and  destroy  their  moral  _characters  ?    I  speak 


not  only  as  a  Christian  minister,  but  as  a  father  of  five 
children,  and  I  say  to  you  frankly  to-day  that  I  would 
rather  have  one  of  mv  preciousboys  take  in  the  germ  of 
small-p^x,  that  would  finally  lay  his  cherished  body  in 
the  grave,  thatPto  have  him  in  one  of  our  play-houses 
take  into  his  moral  and  spiritual  nature  a  germ  of  im- 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  6i 

gurity  that  would  lower  his  ideals,  destroy  his  respect  for 
womanhood,  and  cheapen  his  entire  views  of  life ! 


THE  MONEY   POWER  AND  THE  THEATER 

In  the  light  of  the  foregoing  facts,  I  bring  the  follow- 
ing deliberate  indictment  against  the  modern  theater  as 
an  institution.  I  indict  it,  first  of  all,  as  a  covetous, 
Mammon-worshiping,  money-seeking  institution.  I  hold 
up  to  public  scorn  the  defense  of  the  theater  that  it  ex- 
ists for  art.  This  is  a  false  and  ridiculous  pretense, 
in  the  light  of  the  known  facts.  The  theater  ex- 
ists neither  for  art  nor  for  the  elevation  of  the  people, 
primarily,  but  for  dividends.  The  dollar  mark  is  over  it 
^11^  Those  who  conduct  it  have  demonstrated  that  they 
will  put  upon  the  boards  any  play,  however  lecherous  and 
indecent  it  may  be,  if  only  the  box  office  receipts  are 
enlarged.  The  excuse  that  the  theater  managers  have 
made,  in  replying  to  my  attack,  that  they  *'onlv  p^ive  the 
^public  what  they  want,"  is  a  lie.  They  themselves  have 
debauched  the  taste  of  the  public,  and  now,  for  further 
profit,  they  are  catering  to  the  low  ideals  of  their  con- 
stituency, which  they  themselves  have  brought  into  be- 
ing! They  are  like  a  doctor  who  makes  a  dope  fiend 
by  starting  him  with  small  doses  of  opium,  and  then 
later,  when  his  poor,  palsied  victim  demands  his  dope, 
the  doctor  excuses  himself  by  saying,  ''I  am  only  giving 
him  what  he  wants!"  Away  with  such  abominable 
hypocrisy ! 

Art  has  been  prostituted  to  profit  in  the  playhouses, 
and  the  little  handful  of  men  who  constitute  the  'Theater 
Trust"  to-day — men  who  are  utterly  foreign  to  Chris- 
tian ideals  of  life  and  conduct — have  discovered  that,  by 


62       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

appealing  to  prurient  curiosity,  and  by  catering  to  those 
elements  in  a  community  who  applaud  the  salacious  and 

Y  the  impure,  their  dividends  are  increased,  and  it  is  this 
fact  which  is  the  real  secret  of  the  decay  of  the  modem 

y  drama  and  playhouse. 

Never  until  this  degrading  bondage  to  'Mammon  is 
broken  will  there  be  any  health  or  wholesomeness  in  the 
American  theater.  Think  of  the  enormity  of  the  crime 
of  capitalizing  the  sacrifice  of  womanly  modesty  and 
making  merchandise  of  the  very  female  graces  and 
charms  that  God  has  designed  for  pure  and  holy  ends! 
And  think  of  the  even  worse  crime  of  condoning  these 
evils  and  patronizing  them!  How  can  any  institution 
which  thus  traffics  in  girls  for  gain  be  anything  but  a 
monstrous  iniquity? 

THE  MORALS  OF  THE  THEATER  AND  ITS  PEOPLE 

I  indict  the  modern  theater,  again,  therefore,  because 
it  appeals  to  the  lower  instincts  of  the  race,  rather  than^ 
to  its  higher  and  nobler  ideals.  Sometimes  a  so-called 
moral  or  religious  play  is  put  upon  the  stage,  but  it  is 
evidently  only  a  bait  to  catch  the  unwary,  for  it  is  fol- 
lowed immediately  by  others  utterly  degrading  and  de- 
plorable in  their  influences,  plays  that,  through  the  eye 
and  ear,  do  for  the  audience  what  the  degraded  dance 
does  through  the  sense  of  touch.  The  average  modem 
play  is  full  of  suggestion  and  innuendo  for  both  eye  and 
ear.  Undress  that  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any  respect- 
able home,  even  among  brothers  and  sisters,  is  common 
on  the  stage.  Conversation,  which  off  the  stage  would 
make  a  woman  unfit  for  decent  company,  and  postures 
from  which  the  face  of  modest  virtue  would  turn  in  di^ 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  63 

gust  in  any  other  place,  are  not  only  tolerated,  but  are 
demanded  by  theater  managers  as  the  popular  features 
of  the  day.  It  was  recently  remarked  by  one  who  knew 
that  in  employing  girls,  it  was  not  a  question  with  the 
managers  of  "how  much  money  they  want^^d  ^^^^  '^^  h^y 
near  naked  they  were  willing  to  appear  on  the  stage." 
The  most  popular  themes  in  the  theater  of  to-day  are 
unholy  love,  jealousy,  envy,  andabroad  and  silly  humor. 
And  even  in  the  midst  of  so-called  religious  plays  and 
the  grand  opera,  ballets  and  other  features  are  often  in- 
troduced which  cannot  fail  to  dull  the  edge  of  modesty 
and  to  discount  the  sanctity  and  glory  of  womanhood. 

COMMERCIALIZING  A   SPOT    ON    CHARACTER 

Furthermore,  that  tlie.  morals  ajLactors-and-actresses 
are  d^plnrnhly  low,  the  statements  already  giYgr_ariH  the 
admissions  of  theater  people  themselves  amply  prove. 
There  are,  I  know,  bright  and  shining  exceptions  to  this 
sad  truth,  but  they  are  the  *^exceptions  that  prove  the 
rule,"  and  they  shine  the  brighter  because  of  the  moral 
blackness  around  them.  I  have  all  sympathy  for  that 
group  of  noble  and  gracious  men  and  women  on  the 
modern  stage  whose  lives  do  exemplify  right  ideals  of 
life  and  conduct,  and  whose  hearts  I  know,  from  some 
of  the  letters  I  have  received  even  recently,  bleed  because 
of  the  shocking  and  shameful  conditions  around  them. 
An  actress  said  recently  to  one  of  my  ministerial  friends, 
when  he  asked  her  about  conditions  upon  the  stage,  "It  X 
is  hell,  sirr 

Even  in  Edwin  Booth^s  day,  conditions  were  distress- 
ing.    I  have  a  friend  who  knew  at  first  hand  of  the 


64       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

incident  in  which  Edwin  Booth  was  asked  by  one  of 

his  intimate  friends — his  attorney — when  he  was  "going 

to  introduce  his  only  daughter  Edwina  to  the  stage." 

Booth  idolized  this  child.     He  gave  her  his  own  name, 

in  feminine  form;  and  at  the  time  of  the  question  she 

was  just  passing  from  girlhood  into  womanhood.     He 

/replied  to  his  friend's  question  by  saying,  "Lwould  rather 

3^  put  her  under  the_sod."     He  followed  that  remark  by 

explammg  tliat  he  knew  all  too  well  the  moral  conditions 

on  the  stage.     Since  Booth's  day,  the  stage,  l^ond  any 

^uestioB^  has  become  infinitely  more__commercial,  sordid. 

andJmmoraljtKTnTt  was  tTien.     The  quotations  already 

given  are  ample  proof  of  this.     There  is  one  sad  and 

striking   fact  that   forever  proves  this  proposition  and 

^that  is  that  the  stage  is  the  only  place  where  a  spot  upon 
a  woman's  character  seems  to  enhance  her  popularity  and 
/j>  JJLs^€cesSj|,^ 
^  ^^^^^y^^mQ  oj.  the_actors  of  to-day  have  had  as  many  di-_ 
T"^^     vprces  and  re-marriages  as  Henry  VIII:  and  the  ax:- 
V^  [        tresses  that  have  had  a  string  of  husbands  have  attained 
^^         to  the  highest  popularity.     Consecutive  polygamy  is  just 
as  bad  as  simultaneous  polygamy  and  our  modern  society 
needs  to  learn  that  truth.    If  concrete  facts,  however,  are 
demanded  to  prove  theevil  conditions  on  the  stage,  they 
are  easily  obtained.     The  nastiness  brought  out  in  the 
vi    Thaw  trial,  for  example,  is  sufficient  proof,  on  the  basis 
of  concrete  facts. 

On  September  13,  the  New  York  Society  for  the  Sup- 
pression of  Vice  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  District 
Attorney  a  play  that  was  being  produced  in  one  of  our 
theaters,  and  protested  against  it.  In  a  letter  to  them 
dated  September  19,  the  attorney  replied  by  saying: 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  6s 

"I  am  in  accord  with  your  belief  that  the  thing  is  in- 
tended to  be  a  lewd  and  suggestive  production,  and  it  is 
deplorable  that  theatrical  managers  of  this  city  have  sunk 
so  low  as  to  permit  such  productions  in  their  theaters." 

On  October  14,  the  Society  notified  the  same  official 
of  still  another  play  that  was  indecent,  and  in  his  reply, 
dated  October  17,  the  District  Attorney  says: 

"In  my  opinion,  it  and  the  other  bedroom  farces  are 
a  sad  reflection  upon  the  theatrical  producers  and  upon 
the  public.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  prosecutions  against 
them  would  not  effect  the  one  thing  which  the  producers 
deserve,  which  is  a  jail  sentence,  and  the  prosecution  it- 
self, by  reason  of  the  publicity  which  it  would  give  to  the 
plays,  would  probably  be  more  harmful  than  efficacious.'* 

These  quotations  seem  to  show  that  the  officers  of  the 
law  believe  that  the  "white  light"  district  is  more  and 
more  taking  the  place  of  the  old  "red  light"  district. 

It  is  useless,  therefore,  for  some  of  the  stage  people 
and  their  defenders  to  cry  out  against  me  because  I  have  / 
dared  to  raise  a  voice  in  opposition  to  this  awful  nasti-j 
ness.     What  all  the  decent  actors  and  their  friends  hadf 
better  do  is  to  move  promptly  and  with   tremendous  ; 
determination  and  aggressiveness  toward  righting  these 
abominations,  instead  of  vilifying  a  preacher  who  criesi 
out  against  them.    Let  the  stage  repent  and  bring  forth] 
fruit  meet  unto  repentance,  and  there  may  be  some  hope 
of  its  salvation! 

THE   theater's    LAWLESSNESS 

I  indict  the  modem  theater,  again,  because  it  deliber- 
ately and  persistently  violates  God's  holyjf^w  yf^rtrpm^n^ 
tlTeJ^abbath^  and  therebv  puts  itself  into  direct  and  deadly 


66       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

competition  with  the  church  and  Sunday  school.  The 
law  of  God  requires,  and  the  deepest  needs  of  men  de- 
mand, that  there  shall  be  one  day  in  seven  for  rest  and 
worship;  but  the  modern  playhouse  persists  in  violating 
this  law.  At  the  last  session  of  the  New  York  legislature, 
the  theater  people  stood  and  scorned  those  of  us  who 
were  speaking  in  defense  of  the  American  Sabbath. 
Through  their  influence  over  a  rotten  political  machine, 
they  succeeded  in  putting  through  the  iniquitous  laws  en- 
abling them  to  open  their  lecherous  playhouses  through- 
out the  state  on  Sunday,  and  thus  to  get  more  dirty  dol- 
lars for  themselves. 

The  Sunday  theaters  in  New  York  have  done  more  to 

\j  reduce  attendance  at  the  churches  and  synagogues,  be- 

\   yond  any  question,  than  any  other  single  force.     Mr.  H. 

W.   Hicks,   Superintendent  of   the  New  York   Sunday 

School  Association,  states  that,  from  the  most  careful 

estimates  that  can  be  made,  there  are  now  in  New  York 

VJ    250,000  children  of  school  age  (that  is  up  to  16  years 

old),  belonging  to  Protestant  homes,  who  are  not  in  any 

Sunday  school.     He  states  further  that  if  you  include 

those  who  are  between  the  ages  of  16  and  24,  another 

200,000  would  have  to  be  added  to  that  figure,  making 

almost  an  even  half  million  of  small  children  and  young 

people  who  are  thus  out  of  our  Sunday  schools.     It  is 

a  very  significant  fact,  too,  that  this  shrinkage  in  Sunday 

V  /  school  and  church  attendance  has  been  contemporaneous 

^with  the  opening  of  Sunday  moving  picture  shows,  thea- 

ters,  etc.    It  is  beyond  controversy  that  these  things  are" 

trenching  in  tremendously  upon  our  Sunday  schools  and 

churches,  and  are  doing  thereby  incalculable  harm  to  the 

children  of  both  sexes.    Recreation  and  amusement  have 

their  legitimate  place  in  the  scheme  of  human  living,  but 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  67 

if  we  are  to  make  them  a  substitute  for  the  deeper  and 
more  sacred  things  of  life  then  they  become  a  curse  in- 
stead of  a  blessing.  We  are  in  danger  of  developing  a 
superficial,  flippant  and  thoughtless  citizenship  by  a 
wrongly  balanced  mental  and  spiritual  diet. 

A  visitor  in  the  home  of  one  of  our  members,  who 
was  studying  conditions  in  New  York,  went  one  Sunday 
night  to  six  theaters  before  finding  one  that  it  was  pos- 
sible to  get  into,  because  there  were  such  crowds. 

SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH  VS.  THEATER 

New  York,  more  and  more,  is  substituting  the  theater 
— this  sordid  and  sorry  thing  which  Mr.  Winters,  Mr. 
Nathan,  Dr.  Wise,  the  States  Attorney,  and  others  have 
described  for  us — New  York,  I  say,  is  substituting  the 
degraded  and  silly  theater  for  the  church  of  the  living  ^ 
God,  even  on  the  Lord's  day.     As  it  now  exists,  the  w^w 
theater  is  the  deviFs  church,  and  conditions  have  now^^ 
reached   the   point   where   i7  is   a   real   question   as  t^'^^ 
whether  the  theater  or  the  true  church  of  God  is  ^^jf/ 
mold  and  shape  the  moral  ideals  of  the  people  in  the^^'^^T* 
future.     Certainly  one  or  the  other  must  go  down !    The.^^  ^ 
church  and  the  theater  have  absolutely  nothing  in  com-  a^^ 
mon.  The  theaters  are  not  exerting  an  upliitin^g  influeiice,^!^^^'*^^ 
nor  are  they  accomplishing  any  practical  work  of  utili^ 
or  beneficence  in  the  worldT     ihe  churches,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  the  soui  savers  of  the  community;  they  are 
promoters  of  public  education,  and  the  foster  mothers 
of  asylums,  hospitals,  orphanages,  charities  and  all  other 
benevolent  institutions.     If  the  theater  should  at  once  be 
suspended  forever,  society"  would  not  feefthe'cFange  ex^ 
cept  for  the  better,  but  if  the  churches  should  be_ 


68       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  abandoned,  it  would  mean  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  our 
civilization  within  a  few  decades. 

/  These  considerations  apply  also  to  the  relationship  be- 
(tween  the  school  and  the  moving  picture  business.  There 
are  in  the  United  States  281,524  school  houses  (accord- 
ing to  government  statistics,  1915-1916),  with  622,371 
teachers. 

There  are  in  each  of  the  two  cities  of  New  York  and 

J  Chicago  more  moving  picture  houses  than  public  school 

houses.     If  the  parish  schools  in  large  cities  are  added 

to  the  number  of  public  schools  the  picture  houses  will 

^  be  about  equal  to  the  total  of  schools.    Probably  the  num- 

A  ber  of  ^'movies"  throughout  the  country  is  at  least  equal 

to  the  total  of  all  public  schools. 

The  enrollment  of  children  in  the  public  schools  in  the 
United  States  (1916)  was  20,357,687,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  15,358,927  children  from  5  to  18  years  of  age. 
The  hours  of  school  attendance  weekly  does  not  average 
more  than  30  hours  during  40  of  the  52  weeks  per  year. 
The  moving  pictures  are  open  on  the  average  about  six 
hours  daily,  or  42  hours  per  week,  52  weeks  in  the  year, 
and  appeal  constantly  to  60,000,000  people  of  all  ages 
and  occasionally  to  another  40,000,000. 

It  has  been  estimated  by  the  magazines  of  the  photo 
play  that  more  titan  the  equal  of  the  entire  population  of 
the  United  States  attend  '^movies:"  every  month. 

The  influence  of  these  picture  shows  for  recreation  or 
play,  instead  of  being  directed  to  subjects  that  are  in- 
/  tellectually  and  morally  healthy,  and  which  thus  prove 
/  a  stimulant  and  aid  to  the  school,  are  usually  silly,  fre- 
/  quently  false  to  morals,  and  degrading  in  their  tendency, 
I    filling  the  receptive  mind  of  youth  with  suggestions  of 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  69 

every  kind  of  vice  and  crime  and  making  light  of  things/ / 
sacred  and  domestically  pure.  /  \ 

Already  the  evil  results  of  the  people's  abandonment 
of  the  church  for  the  theater  and  the  harmful  trend  of 
these  educational  facts  are  being  seen  in  our  cities.  There 
is  a  condition  of  immorality  among  the  children  on  the 
streets  and  even  in  the  public  schools  that  is  almost  un- 
believable. As  a  pastor,  in  going  about  the  streets  of 
New  York,  I  see  on  every  hand — in  the  well-to-do  and 
the  poorer  sections — groups  of  small  boys  shooting  craps 
— gambling  for  money — and  when  I  stop  near  to  observe 
them,  I  hear  them  using  the  vilest  language — not  merely 
oaths,  but  the  putrid  speech  of  moral  degeneration.  In 
some  of  the  schools  there  are  conditions  of  insubordina- 
tion and  of  gross  immorality  that  are  heart-breaking.  If 
time  permitted,  I  could  tell  you  of  concrete  cases  whic 
I  personally  know,  where  gangs  of  very  small  boys  have 
held  up  and  robbed  other  boys  of  their  knives,  watches, 
etc.  I  know  of  one  case  where  there  was  bad  blood  be- 
tween two  boys.  One  of  them  laid  in  wait  for  the  other, 
behind  a  corner,  and  when  the  boy  passed,  this  other  boy 
sprang  out  upon  him,  slapped  a  handkerchief  over  his 
mouth,  and  almost  choked  him  to  death  before  he  real- 
ized how  seriously  he  was  hurting  him.  When  confront- 
ed later  with  this  melodramatic  act,  hejLQii£essed_heJiad 
fottenJJjeidea  from  the  movies!    And  thus  the  immo- 


rality and  other  evils  among  the  school  children  are  easily 
accounted  for.  The  church  and  Sunday  school  have  been 
neglected,  and  the  poison  of  the  moving  picture  house 
and  cheap  theaters  has  been  poured  into  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  the  rising  generation.  New  York  is  beginning 
already  to  pay  the  price  of  her  worldliness,  her  neglect 
of  true  religion,  and  her  desertion  of  the  church  of  God. 


70       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

I  wish  to  ask  what  the  next  generation  willj)e  ?  The  old- 
fashioned  church,  with  all  of  its  short-comings  and 
faults,  did  produce  a  stable,  sweet,  and  wholesome  home 
and  community  life;  and  the  time  is  at  hand  when  New 
York  will  have  to  decide  whether  the  moral  ideals  of  the 
people  are  to  be  molded  and  shaped  by  the  church  of 
the  living  God  or  by  the  cheap  and  degraded  theater.. 
The  time  is  at  hand  when  New  York  must  decide  whether 
she  will  follow  God's  teachers  and  preachers  or  a  group 
bf  foreigners  who  control  the  theater  business  of  to-day. 

SHOULD  CHRISTIANS  ATTEND? 

These  considerations  now  bring  us  face  to  face  with 
the  practical  question,  should  the  Christian  attend  the 
modern  theater?  If  we  do  attend,  then  beyond  any 
question  we  help  the  theater  to  destroy  the  sanctity  of 
the  Lord's  day  and  thus  to  undermine  the  church. 
Further,  if  we  attend  we  help  to  support  all  of  the  sordid 
commercialism  and  the  awful  moral  iniquity  for  which 
the  theater  stands.  We  help  to  support  it  by  the  encour- 
agement of  our  presence  and  by  the  money  which  we 
pour  into  its  coffers;  and  in  doing  that  we  cannot  avoid 
the  conclusion  that  we  thus  help  indirectly  to  cause 
the  fall  of  other  lives.  Is  it  not  an  awful  thing,  when 
iwe  stop  to  think  of  it  seriously,  that  some  Christians 
will  sit  in  a  theater  giggling  at  the  display  of  gaudy- 
'colored  tights  upon  the  stage,  when,  if  they  would  pause 
a  moment  to  think,  they  would  realize  that  the  sj>ectacle 
before  them  meant  the  blunting  of  maidenly  modesty 
and  the  breaking  down  of  that  womanly  reserve  which, 
lat  last,  is  the  best  bulwark  of  purity?  The  price  of  our 
Imerriment  and  of  our  enjoyment  in  the  modem  theater 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  71 

is  too  often  the  virtue  and  the  very  soul  of  those  who 
there  entertain  us.  Unless  the  fathers  of  to-day  are 
willing  that  their  own  daughters  should  display  their  per- 
sons, as  the  women  of  the  stage  are  expected  to  do,  then 
they  have  no  right  to  encourage  and  support  the  theater. 
Why  in  the  name  of  pleasure  will  we  give  countenance 
to  those  who  fTagraptly  Pi-nc\  persistently  violate  the  high- 
est and  most  sacred  laws  of  God  and  man,  and  whose 

narnp<;,    were    it    nnt    fof   thpif    gri-rallpri    "art/^    wnnlH    K^ 


a  Dv-word  and  a  st^ri^h  in  thp  nnc;tri1c;  of  all  p^ood  people?^ 
Why  will  Christian  men  pay  fancy  prices  and  carry  their 
wives  and  daughters  to  applaud  those  whose  lives  con- 
travene the  precepts  which  nurture  pure  and  modest 
womanhood,  and  whose  example,  if  followed  by  all, 
would  plunge  society  into  a  moral  quagmire  within  a 
decade?  Era7<"n  1irpr||in{^c;  thev  are,  often  mothers  of 
illegitimate  children  and  scoffers  at  the  things  that  are 
holy  and  pureT^  And  yet,  for  the  sake  of  so-called  rec- 
reation,  we  help  to  support  such  women — women  who  \/ 
stand  as  the  very  embodiment  of  the  worst  destructive 
tendencies  of  our  civilization. 


REPEAL  OF  SABBATH    LAWS 

Instead  of  any  sort  of  cooperation.  Christian  men  and 
women  ought  to  assert  themselves  most  vigorously  and 
earnestly  in  opposition  to  this  whole  institution  as  it  ex- 
ists to-day,  with  its  silliness  and  its  sordidness,  its  bed- 
room plays  and  its  salacious  jokes,  its  sacrifice  of  female 
modesty,  its  worship  of  money,  its  deliberate  violation 
of  God's  holy  law,  and  its  grossly  immoral  atmosphere. 
There  should  be  at  the  present  time,  a  united,  determined 
and  most  aggressive  movement  on  the  part  of  all  who 


72       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

believe  in  righteousness,  for  the  repeal  of  the  pagan  Sab- 
bath laws  and  the  closing  of  the  playhouses  on  the  Lord's 
day. 

No  improvement  can  be  made  in  these  things  until 
public  opinion  crystallizes  definitely,  and  the  better  ele- 
ments  of  the  community  assert  themselves  in  opposition 
to  these  abuses!  So  long  as  we  are  content  to  drift  along 
in  good-natured  indifference  or  self-complacency,  imagin- 
ing all  is  right,  when  in  fact  all  is  wrong,  our  boys  and 
our  girls  will  continue  to  be  poisoned  by  the  filth  of  the 
modern  playhouse,  and  our  society  will  continue  to  de- 
cline in  its  ideals  and  customs. 

There  are  two  principles  which  should  animate  the 
Christian.  The  first  is  that  of  spiritual  self -development 
to  the  highest  possible  point.  We  are  to  ''grow  in  grace 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord."  The  other  great 
principle  is  service.  We  are  thus  to  strive  for  growth 
and  development  in  Christian  character,  in  order  that 
we  may  help  others  to  find  Christ  as  Savior,  and  to  lead 
them  into  His  great  Kingdom  for  growth  and  service. 
Paul  truly  stated  the  Christian  principle  when  he  said, 
in  the  words  of  our  text,  "Wherefore,  if  meat  maketh 
my  brother  to  offend,  I  will  eat  no  meat  forever,  lest  I 
make  my  brother  to  offend."  We  are  in  a  very  true  sense 
our  brother's  keeper,  and  the  Christian's  influence  should 
be  consecrated  only  to  good.  Now  certainly  the  modem 
theater  does  not  minister  to  either  of  those  ends  of  growth 
or  service. 

Some  tell  us  to-day  that  we  "ought  to  help  elevate  the 
stage  by  patronizing  good  plays,"  but  this  argument  is 
foolish  in  the  light  of  present  conditions.  The  whole 
theater — as  an  institution — smells  to  high  heaven.  Its 
ownership,  control  and  methods  are  wrong,  and  as  lonj 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  73 

as  it  is  a  commercial  proposition,  there  is  not  much  hope 
oi  real  improvement.  The  few  good  plays  that  are  put 
on  the  boards  are  often  merely  blinds  and  baits,  and 
Christian  men  and  women  ought  to  refuse  longer  to  be 
a  party  to  the  crimes  and  sins  of  the  modern  playhouse. 

Other  forms  of  recreation  can  be  found  infinitely  more 
wholesome  than  these,  and  instead  of  being  conformed 
to  this  worldliness  we  ought  to  be  transformed  by  the 
renewing  of  our  minds  that  we  may  prove  what  is  ''that 
good  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of  God."  As  our 
text  enjoins,  we  ought  to  come  out  from  among  worldly 
people. 

The  command  is,  "Come  out  from  among  them  and  be 
ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean 
thing,  and  I  will  receive  you."  And  the  further  injunc- 
tion is:  ''Have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works 
of  darkness,  but  rather  reprove  them,  for  it  is  a  shame 
even  to  speak  of  those  things  which  are  done  of  them 
in  secret."     (Eph.  5  :ii-i2.) 

Instead  of  making  alliances  with  the  theater  to-day 
and  allowing  it  to  soothe  its  unregenerate  conscience  by 
a  fellowship  with  the  church,  a  concerted,  determined, 
and  most  aggressive  warfare  ought  to  be  waged  upon 
this  corrupt  institution ;  and  all  men  and  women  who  love 
God  and  respect  His  holy  law,  ought  to  unite  for  the 
closing  of  Sunday  theaters  of  all  sorts,  and  for  the  re- 
establishment  of  the  American  Sabbath,  which  has  been 
one  of  the  bulwarks  of  the  republic.     The  three  greatest,  / 
foundation  stones  of  our  Ano^lo-Saxon  civilization  are  '*' 
the  strength  of  the  home,  the  purity  of  womanhood,  andx 
the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  day,  and  these  are  the  very 
three  things  that  the  theater  most  directly  and  constantly  ^ 
damages. 


74       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

In  facing  these  issues  we  all  have  a  tremendous  re- 
sponsibility to  carry,  not  only  as  Christians  but  as  patriot- 
ic Americans.  New  York  more  and  more  sets  the  pace 
for  all  America.  Mayor  Ole  Hanson,  of  Seattle,  in 
speaking  recently  here  of  the  anarchists  and  I.  W.  W. 
fanatics  that  he  fought  during  the  Seattle  strike,  said: 

"As  we  traced  every  one  of  these  evil  rats  back  to  his 
hole,  we  found  that  he  came  out  of  New  York." 

To  even  a  greater  degree,  the  same  thing  can  be  said 
of  the  moral  evils  that  flow  from  the  stage  even  in  the 
smaller  towns  and  cities.  New  York  is  the  headquarters 
of  the  Theater  Trust,  and  the  great  center  from  which 
the  troupes  that  tour  the  country  go  out.  I  have  had 
pastors  from  the  smaller  centers  complain  to  me  of  the 
shows  that  were  being  given  in  their  communities,  like 
that  to  which  Dr.  Wise  referred,  advertised  as  coming 
"from  Broadway." 

NEW  York's  nation-wide  influence 

The  theater,  centering  in  New  York  and  branching 
out  from  here,  in  my  deliberate  judgment  is  doing  more 
to  prostitute  the  youth  of  our  country  and  to  endanger 
America's  future  than  any  other  single  force. 

Certainly,  as  Christians,  therefore,  we  need  to  beware 
to-day  what  meat  we  eat,  lest  we  cause  our  brother  to 
stumble ! 

The  real  secret  of  overcoming  power  in  all  of  these 
things  is  to  love  Christ  so  well  and  to  serve  Him  so 
actively  that  these  false  pleasures  will  lose  their  charm. 

One  of  our  young  women,  who  has  become  very  active 
in  church  work  and  soul-saving  efforts,  said  to  me  re- 


CORRUPTION  OF  MODERN  THEATER  75 

cently:  "I  have  always  had  a  conscience  on  the  subject 
of  going  to  the  theater,  because  every  time  I  attended, 
the  question  would  come  to  my  mind,  'Could  I  have 
invited  Jesus  here  with  me?  Would  I  feel  entirely  com- 
fortable if  He  were  sitting  by  my  side  as  my  guest?' 
And  sometimes  a  tingle  of  shame  would  come  to  my 
cheek  because  of  something  I  was  seeing  or  hearing  on 
the  stage;  and  the  conviction  would  come  to  my  heart 
that  Jesus  would  not  feel  at  home  and  that  I  would  have 
felt  terribly  embarrassed  if  He  had  been  with  me  as  my 
guest."  Then  she  added,  *'So,  pastor,  I  have  given  it 
up.  I  have  no  time  for  those  things.  I  have  found  some- 
thing better  to  do."  This  young  woman  then  expressed 
to  the  pastor  her  willingness  to  give  her  life  to  the  service 
of  Christ,  as  a  missionary. 

You  have  doubtless  heard  of  the  island  where  the 
sirens  sang  so  sweetly  that  all  who  passed  in  ships  were 
charmed  by  their  music,  lost  control  of  themselves  and 
the  ship,  and  the  vessels  were  thus  dashed  to  pieces  on 
the  rocks.  One  vessel  came  near  and  the  officer  put  wax 
in  the  sailors'  ears,  then  had  them  bind  him  to  the 
masts,  and  although  he  struggled  to  be  free  no  one  would 
release  him  as  the  sirens  sang.  That  is  one  way  to  over- 
come the  fascinations  of  the  so-called  popular  amuse- 
ments of  the  day.  Some  say,  ''Make  hard  and  fast 
rules,  and  if  the  people  break  them  turn  them  out  of  the 
church."  But  I  am  sure  this  is  not  the  best  solution  for 
the  problem.  We  can  reach  the  highest  possible  to  our 
characters  only  by  freely  desiring  and  doing  the  better 
things  of  life.  In  the  story  of  the  sirens,  we  are  told 
that  another  vessel  came  near,  and  though  the  sirens  sang 
their  sweetest  music,  the  sailors  never  turned  their  heads 
to  listen.     They  really  did  not  know  they  were  near  the 


76       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

island,  and  all  because  they  had  Orpheus  on  board  and 
Orpheus  sang  a  sweeter  song  than  the  sirens  ever  knew. 
.When  we  take  Jesus  on  board,  He  will  give  us  overcom- 
ing power  against  all  worldliness  and  sin  !* 

*  Those  who  are  especially  interested  in  the  theater  question  may 
/get  a  more  extended  discussion  of  the  whole  matter  in  Dr.  Straton's 
'little  book  on  ''Church  Versus  Stage."  It  contains  the  above  ad- 
dress, and  another  address  on  "Will  the  Devil  Complete  the  Cap- 
ture of  the  Modern  Church  Through  the  Theater?"  Correspond- 
ence between  Mr.  Daniel  Frohman  and  Dr.  Straton,  editorial  com- 
ments, etc.  Price  50  cents.  Published  by  George  H.  Doran  Com- 
pany. 


CHAPTER  V 

DOGS    VERSUS    BABIES:    THE    SHADOW    OF   A 

GREAT  SIN 

The  birth  of  a  baby  is  the  most  important  event  that 
happens  on  this  planet.  There  is  in  it  an  element  of  ex- 
quisite pathos.  It  is  not  only  the  price  which  the  dear 
mother  pays,  but  there  is  the  fact  that  the  little  stranger, 
without  any  will  or  choice  of  his  own,  comes  from  the 
mystery  of  the  great  unknown  to  be  cast  upon  these 
stormy  shores  of  time. 

What  occurrence  of  earth  is  comparable  for  a  moment 
with  this?  It  is  an  event  of  surpassing  interest  to  the 
scientific  world  when  a  new  star  sweeps  into  view.  The 
laying  of  the  first  cable  across  the  ocean  was  acclaimed 
with  joy  by  the  watching  continents.  The  completion 
of  the  first  railroad  marked  a  gigantic,  step  forward  in 
material  progress.  The  first  steamship  to  cross  the  ocean 
meant  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  race.  But  the  birth 
even  of  the  humblest  baby  is  a  more  important  event  than 
any  of  these,  because  locked  up  in  every  child  are  not 
only  infinite  possibilities  for  human  betterment,  but  also 
the  great  issues  of  eternal  destiny. 

Look  at  any  baby  lying  in  his  cradle !  What  wonder- 
ful things  are  possible  to  him !  He  may  become  a  great 
statesman  and  mold  the  destiny  of  nations;  he  may  be- 
come a  golden-tongued  orator,  and  sway  multitudes  by 
the  magic  of  his  speech;  he  may  become  a  scientist  and 

77 


78       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

open  to  the  world  new  discoveries  of  truth;  he  may  be- 
come a  philosopher  and  explore  the  highest  reaches  of 
human  wisdom;  he  may  become  a  poet  and  woo  the 
hearts  of  men  by  the  music  of  his  verse;  he  may  become 
a  seer  and  unfold  heavenly  glories  to  the  children  of 
men;  while  crowning  it  all,  whatever  his  career  upon 
earth,  there  is  before  every  human  soul  the  deep  perspec- 
tive of  eternity.  What  a  tremendous  thought,  and  what 
an  infinite  significance  it  adds  to  every  little  child! 


TEST  OF  CIVILIZATION 

To  rightly  estimate  the  value  of  the  baby  is  at  last  the 
supreme  test  of  civilization.  New  York  needs  to  take 
this  truth  to  heart.  Many  in  the  so-called  ''better  classes" 
of  our  city  seem  to  think  little  of  babies.  Instead  of  the 
beautiful  picture  of  babies  in  their  mothers'  arms,  we  are 
treated  to  the  spectacle,  all  up  and  down  our  streets,  of 
women  with  puny  little  dogs  at  the  ends  of  strings. 
We  love  dogs,  but  as  substitutes  for  babies  they  are  shame- 
ful. 

A  short  time  ago  I  enjoyed  a  bit  of  humor  in  connec- 
tion with  a  young  Sunday  school  worker  who  had  re- 
cently come  to  this  city  and  who  did  not  know  conditions 
here.  The  young  lady  was  discussing  with  me  the  ques- 
tion of  a  community  canvass  to  secure  children  for  the 
Sunday  school.     She  asked : 

'Taking  in  a  distance  of  a  half  mile  each  way  from 
this  church,  how  many  small  children  do  you  think  could 
be  found?" 

The  pastor  replied: 


DOGS  VERSUS  BABIES  79 

"Well,  to  be  liberal  in  the  estimate,  I  would  say  that 
you  might  find  five  children  in  that  territory;  but  if  you 
were  looking  for  dogs,  I  would  say  that  you  would  find 
5,000!  If  we  should  start  here  a  Sunday  school  for  dogs 
we  could  undoubtedly  pack  it  to  the  doors,  but  babies 
and  little  children  are  woefully  scarce  in  the  better-to-do 
districts  of  New  York." 

And  certainly  the  declining  birth  rate  among  the  well- 
to-do  classes  of  America  should  give  us  pause.  On  all 
our  "fashionable'*  streets,  dogs  are  takingi  the  place  of 
babies.  Not  big,  noble  dogs — there  might  be  some  con- 
solation in  that ! — ^but  miserable  little  scraps  of  hair  and 
hide,  with  bleary  eyes,  wobbly  legs,  pink  ribbons,  and, 
when  the  weather  is  chilly,  little  coats  and  pants  upon 
them,  as  they  amble  along  at  the  end  of  their  strings! 

Would  not  a  visitor  from  Mars,  if  he  had  any  sense 
of  humor,  laugh  himself  to  death  as  he  saw  scores  of  ^ 
women,  with  costly  furs  and  sparkling  jewels,  serving  in  ( 
the  morning  hours  as  nurses  to  contemptible  little  canines 
all  along  our  boulevards? 

We  could  all  laugh  if  these  things  did  not  prove  the 
existence  of  social  sin  and  the  avoidance  of  sacred  duty. 
The  natural  reaction,  therefore,  to  it  all  is  a  feeling  of 
deep  distress  and  even  of  disgust.  One  can  not  walk  out 
without  seeing  sights  that  produce  that  feeling,  with 
women,  who  ought  to  have  something  better  to  do,  hold- 
ing on  to  strings,  all  up  and  down  the  streets,  and  silly 
little  dogs  at  the  other  end  of  the  strings  in  all  sorts  of 
postures, — some  of  them  the  most  ridiculous  and  at  times 
the  most  embarrassing  to  the  dear  ladies  I  The  condition 
of  our  sidewalks  by  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  each 
day  shows  the  dominance  of  dogs.    It  behooves  the  citi- 


8o       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

zens  of  New  York  to  protest  against  conditions,  in  the 
name  of  sanitation  if  for  no  higher  reason. 


SIGNS   OF   SOCIAL  SIN 

But  there  are  higher  reasons.  These  things  are  proof 
of  social  degeneration.  The  dog-versus-baby  issue  has 
become  acute  in  our  metropolis.  Though  there  are  many 
many  liable s  in  America  dying  from  undernourishment 
and  neglect  among  the  poor,  the  so-called  "better  classes" 
of  our  society  are  avoiding  the  responsibility  of  having 
children,  and  on  the  other  hand  are  spending  annually, 
we  are  told,  $200,000,000  for  dogs!  Page  after  page 
of  advertisements  of  dogs  are  to  be  found  in  the  fashion- 
able women's  magazines.  While  the  babies  of  the  poor 
starve  and  their  mothers  work  their  hands  off  and  eat 
their  hearts  out  in  the  hopeless  task  of  trying  to  care 
for  them  better,  there  are  many  servants  employed  in 
New  York,  much  of  whose  time  is  taken  nursing  and 
caring  for  dogs!  Shame  upon  us  that  it  is  so!  And  is 
there  any  wonder  that  there  is  restlessness  and  discon- 
tent within  the  ranks  of  the  poor  to-day,  when  they  see 
such  things  ?  There  are  not  only  dog  nurses  to-day,  but 
there  are  dog  doctors  and  dog  hospitals  and  dog  dress- 
makers and  even  dog  cemeteries — expensive,  elaborate 
ones,  with  tombstones,  caretakers  and  all  such  things! 

The  substitution  of  the  dog  for  the  baby  seems  to  be 
just  about  complete  in  certain  social  circles  of  New  York! 
The  pastor  sometime  since  while  walking  through  the 
park  saw  a  woman  clasp  to  her  bosom  a  bow-legged,  pop- 
eyed  pug  pup,  and  exclaim  as  she  kissed  him :  "Come  to 
its  muzzer!    Does  de  'ittle  tootsie-wootsie  *ove  its  muz- 


DOGS  VERSUS  BABIES  8i 

zer !"     My  God — that  we  have  come  to  that  here  in  the 
full  light  of  the  twentieth  century! 


SHOCKING    SILLINESS 

One  of  the  leading  doctors  of  New  York  told  me  a  per- 
sonal experience  he  had.  A  friend  lived  just  opposite 
him  in  the  same  apartment  house.  This  friend  had  con- 
fided to  him  his  great  disappointment  that  there  were 
no  children  in  his  home,  and  he  had  told  the  doctor 
frankly  why  there  were  none,  and  how  burdened  his 
heart  had  been,  because  of  these  things.  There  was  a 
pet  dog,  however,  in  the  home.  The  doctor  did  not  see 
this  dog  for  several  days  in  the  hallway  of  the  apartment 
house  as  he  usually  did,  and  then  he  noticed  that  there 
seemed  to  be  something  wrong  in  his  friend's  apartment. 
The  man  appeared  preoccupied  and  burdened.  Finally 
he  knocked  on  the  doctor's  door  and  said,  *T  wish  you 
would  come  over  into  my  apartment  and  see  if  you  can 
help  me.     I  cannot  stand  the  situation  any  longer." 

Somewhat  mystified,  but  desiring  to  help,  the  doctor 
went  into  the  apartment  and  was  led,  by  his  friend,  back 
to  his  wife's  bedroom.  There  he  found  the  wife  stretched 
across  the  bed ;  her  hair  disheveled,  her  eyes  swollen  from 
weeping,  and  weak  because  she  had  not  eaten  for  several 
days.  The  doctor  noticed  a  faint  unpleasant  odor  in  the 
room.  Still  puzzled  by  the  situation,  he  turned  to  his 
friend  and  said,  "What  is  the  matter  here  ?"  The  friend 
said,  "Turn  back  the  bed  clothing  and  you  will  see !"  The 
doctor  turned  back  the  covers  and  there,  lying  upon  a 
pillow  against  which  the  woman  was  nestling,  lay  the 
dead  dog.  It  had  been  there  for  days,  and  the  woman 
in  a  spasm  of  grief  had  refused  to  let  it  be  moved,  until 


82       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

its  presence  was  becoming  positively  offensive.  With  a 
firm  hand  the  doctor  took  hold  of  the  situation  and  lifted 
the  carcass  of  the  dog  up  and  carried  it  out,  as  the  woman 
screamed  ''My  baby!  My  baby!" 

The  only  consolation  is  that  if  that  sort  are  to  be 
mothers,  then  we  are  better  off  with  dogs  than  we  would 
be  with  babies!     But  the  shame  and  disgrace  of  it  all! 

TOO  MANY  BABIES  AND  TOO  FEW 

Go  over  to  the  East  Side,  or  anywhere  in  the  poorer 
sections  of  the  city,  and  one  finds  children  in  such  num- 
bers that  one  can  scarcely  get  along  the  streets  for  them. 
Children  huddled  in  miserable  holes,  called  ''homes!" 
Children  scantily  clad,  stunted  in  body,  underfed  and 
poorly  attended,  because  their  mothers  are  too  driven  by 
the  struggle  of  life  to  give  them  the  time  they  need.  But 
where  the  "well-to-do"  people  live,  investigation  discloses 
the  fact  that  there  are  only  an  average  of  about  five 
babies  to  each  mile  of  streets !  The  very  people  who  are 
best  equipped  for  caring  for  children  are  guilty  of  the 
great  sin  of  avoiding  this  responsibility.  There  is  no 
greater  sin  on  earth  to-day!  There  are  great  factories 
running  on  full  time  in  this  country  to  supply  the  things 
that  make  this  sin  possible.  If  we  do  not  turn  from 
such  iniquity  must  not  the  hot  wrath  of  a  holy  God  fall 
upon  us? 

Our  whole  materialistic  modern  civilization  seems  to 
be  conspiring  against  childhood  and  a  true  home  life. 
Here,  for  example,  is  a  letter  to  one  of  our  papers  from 
a  woman  who  had  dared  to  have  a  child  in  New  York. 
This  mother  says: 


DOGS  VERSUS  BABIES  83 

"Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  the  great  psychologist  and  de- 
fender of  the  child,  says :  'Good  parenthood,  in  all  that 
noble  term  involves,  is  the  supreme  end  of  man.'  Will 
some  of  your  readers,  preferably  among  landlords  and 
property  owners,  tell  me  how  this  end  can  be  attained  to- 
day ?  How  can  women  even  dare  to  have  children  when, 
as  the  parents  of  the  child,  they  become  literally  the  out- 
casts among  tenants  ?  I  know  where  applicants  for  rooms 
with  even  a  tiny  baby  have  been  turned  away  without 
even  a  hearing.  My  own  baby  boy  was  admitted  to  the 
house  where  we  are  as  a  great  concession.  He  is  per- 
mitted to  play  in  a  tiny  penned-off  corner  of  the  back 
yard,  in  the  blaze  of  the  sun,  with  weeds  under  foot  and 
surrounded  on  two  sides  by  brick  walls.  The  rest  of  the 
yard  is  given  over  to  the  grass  and  flowers.  No  chance 
for  the  little  human  flower !  Our  country  has  lost  thou- 
sands of  its  young  men.  Why  does  not  the  Government 
take  up  this  vital  problem  of  making  it  possible  to  pro- 
vide others  to  take  their  places  ?" 

Landlords  will  thus  penalize  one  who  has  discharged 
the  noblest  function  of  womanhood  by  bringing  a  new 
life  into  the  world,  but  they  will  fall  over  themselves  to 
welcome  to  their  hotels  and  apartment  houses  fancy 
dressed  and  idle  women,  with  their  little  dogs!  What  a 
commentary  upon  our  Mammon-worshiping  modern 
life! 

I  well  remember  the  impression  that  was  made  upon 
my  own  mind  and  heart  by  observations  in  one  of  the 
large  apartment  houses  of  this  city.  Every  few  days  in 
the  elevator  three  people  were  seen  taking  a  little  weak- 
eyed  dog  out  for  an  airing.  He  was  one  of  these  little 
thin-skinned,  short-haired  mites,  but  little  larger  than  a 
good-sized,  able-bodied  rat.  He  seemed  to  be  a  sufferer 
from  chronic  chills.  They  had  him  dressed  up  not  only 
in  a  little  suit  of  clothes,  but  also  wrapped  in  a  blanket, 


84       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  despite  this  he  was  shivering  and  shaking,  and  his 
bleary  eyes  were  watery  and  weak.  The  three  people,  a 
man,  a  woman  and  the  chauffeur,  were  there  each  time 
dancing  around  him  and  petting  him  and  seeking  to  keep 
him  quiet,  as  he  whined  the  whole  distance  down  the 
elevator  shaft.  The  managers  of  the  house  never  ob- 
jected to  any  of  this,  but  there  was  immediate  complaint 
from  the  managers  if  any  of  the  children  who  lived  in 
the  house  made  the  slightest  noise! 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE  LITTLE  CHILD 

The  future  of  the  world  is  in  the  hands  of  the  little 
child.  How  sacred  is  the  charge !  Truly  did  the  Bishop 
of  Ely  say  to  the  British  people  in  a  recent  sermon : 

"It  may  be  that  after  ages  will  recognize  in  the  falling 
birth-rate  a  more  momentous  and  a  more  devastating  ca- 
lamity even  than  the  great  war;  for  of  what  use  is  it  for 
a  nation  at  infinite  cost  to  vindicate  Its  liberty  if  it  con- 
sciously and  deliberately  condemns  itself  to  be  a  dwin- 
dling nation  and  condones  its  own  crime  of  national  sui- 
cide? Or  again,  look  out  upon  the  future  people  in  the 
lurid  light  of  the  knowledge  which  by  scientific  and  exact 
inquiry  we  have  gained  as  to  the  inheritance  of  disease 
and  misery  which  through  sensual  sins  is  bequeathed  by 
one  generation  to  another.  The  uncleanness  of  the  par- 
ents predestines  the  poor  children  who  shall  be  bom  of 
them  to  lives  poisoned  and  vitiated  and  saddened  from 
the  first.'' 

The  nation  which  has  plenty  of  babies  is  the  nation 
that  is  safe  for  the  coming  time.  When  childhood  fails, 
a  nation  will  inevitably  decline;  and  America  needs  to 
look  more  to  a  plentiful  supply  of  the  right  sort  of  ba- 


DOGS  VERSUS  BABIES  85 

bies — ^happy,  well-fed,  truly  educated,  and  nourished  in 
the  fear  and  admonition  of  God — than  she  needs  to  look 
to  armies  and  navies  and  financial  power.  The  cradle 
that  held  Paul  held  a  new  world;  the  mother  who  nur- 
tured Luther  directed  the  forces  of  a  new  age;  the  home 
that  produced  Washington  underwrote  liberty  for  the 
human  race. 

But  the  most  interesting  and  important  baby  ever  bom 
upon  this  earth  was  Jesus,  the  "Babe  of  Bethlehem.*'  No 
royal  palace  sheltered  the  helpless  head  of  the  infant 
Jesus;  no  silken  robes  wrapped  His  tender  form, 
yet  locked  up  in  that  tiny  bit  of  human  flesh,  as  it  lay 
against  the  lowly  Mother's  breast,  was  the  whole  destiny 
of  the  world. 

"When  Mary  the  Mother  kissed  the  Child 
And  night  on  the  wintry  hills  grew  mild. 
And  the  strange  star  swung  from  the  courts  of  air 
To  serve  at  a  manger  with  kings  in  prayer, 
Then  did  the  day  of  the  simple  kin 
And  the  unregarded   folk  begin. 

When  Mary  the  Mother  forgot  the  pain, 
In  the  stable  of  rock  began  love's  reign. 
When  that  new  light  on  their  grave  eyes  broke 
The  oxen  were  glad  and  forgot  their  yoke ; 
And  the  huddled  sheep  in  the  far  hill  fold 
Stirred  in  their  sleep  and  felt  no  cold. 

When  Mary  the  Mother  gave  her  breast 

To  the  poor  inn's  latest  and  lowliest  guest — 

The  God  bom  out  of  the  woman's  side — 

The  Babe  of  Heaven  by  Earth  Denied — 

Then  did  the  hurt  ones  cease  to  moan, 

And  the  long-supplanted  came  to  their  own. 


86       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

When  Mary  the  Mother  felt  faint  hands 
Beat  at  her  bosom  with  life's  demands, 
And  naught  to  her  were  the  kneeling  kings, 
The  serving  star  and  the  half -seen  wings; 
Then  was  the  little  of  earth  made  great, 
And  the  man  came  back  to  the  God's  estate." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   SCARLET   STAIN   OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY: 

WILL  AMERICA  GO  THE  WAY  OF  THE 
GREAT  EMPIRES  OF  THE  PAST? 

All  righteous  human  law  is  but  the  reflection  of  divine 
law,  and  righteous  law  is  not  arbitrary  but  is  founded 
in  the  eternal  nature  of  things.  Twice  two  equals  four 
not  because  it  is  written  in  the  arithmetic,  but  it  is  written 
in  the  arithmetic  because  it  is  eternally  true.  The  stars 
do  not  move  in  their  orbits  because  the  laws  of  planetary 
motion  have  been  formulated  by  astronomers  and  written 
in  their  books,  but  the  astronomers  observed  how  the 
planets  always  acted,  and  their  laws  were  written  only 
as  a  human  statement  of  these  eternal  facts.  The  Sev- 
enth Commandment  is:  ''Thou  shalt  not  commit  adul- 
tery." (Ex.  20:14.)  This  law  against  impurity  is  not 
binding  merely  because  Moses  wrote  it  among  the  Ten 
Commandments,  but  he  wrote  it  among  the  Command- 
ments because  it  is  eternally  wrong  to  commit  adultery. 

All  human  governments  that  have  laid  any  claim  to 
enlightenment  have  recognized  the  righteousness  of  the 
prohibition  which  God  has  thus  laid  upon  illicit  relation- 
ships between  the  sexes;  and  either  by  specific  laws  or 
by  established  social  customs,  the  transgression  of  the 
law  of  purity  has  been  rigidly  prohibited. 

How  shall  we  deal  with  these  evils  to-day?  Certainly 
no  longer  by  the  "conspiracy  of  silence"  which  has  been 

87 


88       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

such  an  obstacle  toward  progress.  Parents  have  been 
criminally  negligent  of  both  their  boys  and  girls  at  this 
important  point.  They  have  allowed  their  children  to 
learn  the  most  sacred  and  vital  facts  of  human  life  from 
ignorant  and  corrupt  sources,  whereas  they  should  have 
frankly  told  them  the  truths  which  they  needed  to  know. 
And  the  Christian  pulpit  has  been  negligent  of  its  duty 
in  not  more  fully  and  specifically  warning  our  modem 
youth  against  the  pitfalls  of  danger  which  are  spread 
on  every  side  to-day.  The  influences  of  religion  ought 
to  operate  at  this  point  as  well  as  at  the  other  important 
points  in  our  human  relationships.  If  some  parents  could 
hear  the  confessions  that  are  poured  into  a  pastor's  ear, 
they  would  understand  better  why  he  so  earnestly  desires 
to  warn  his  young  people  against  these  evils.  Some  par- 
ents complain  if  a  pastor  raises  a  voice  against  the  pop- 
ular worldly  amusements  of  to-day,  and  yet  those  same 
parents  never  make  a  protest  against  the  indecent  bill- 
boards and  advertisements  in  the  papers  which  their 
children  have  to  see.  And  those  same  parents  will  allow 
their  children  to  go  to  moving  picture  shows,  where  the 
vilest  suggestions  are  often  given  their  minds;  and  the 
parents  themselves  will  attend  the  theaters  that  are  sim- 
ply paralyzing  the  moral  ideals  of  our  youth.  Away  with 
such  inconsistency! 

THE   ENORMITY   OF   COMMERCIALIZED  VICE 

This  whole  social  evil,  I  well  know,  is  age  long.  It  is 
part  of  that  heritage  of  sin  which  belongs  to  a  fallen 
race,  and  it  has  been  destructive  and  awful  in  its  in- 
fluences down  the  ages.  But  never  until  our  own  age 
have  we  seen  this  evil  organized   and  exploited  in  a 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  89 

large  business  way.  Never  before  have  we  seen  the 
passions  of  men  capitalized  for  gain,  and  their  sacred 
power  of  propagation  prostituted  for  profit.  The  most 
awful  fact  of  modern  vice  is  this  fact — that  it  is  now 
commercialized;  that  it  is  an  organized  business;  a  na- 
tion-wide trust  as  it  were.  The  significant  thing,  too, 
about  these  modern  conditions  is  that  men  and  not 
women  are  the  organizers  of  the  business  and  the  final 
and  largest  profiters  from  it. 

And  side  by  side  with  these  infamous  truths  is  the 
other  fact  that  this  commercialized  vice  is  used  as  a  prop 
for  corrupt  politics.  The  powers  of  political  iniquity 
entrench  themselves  behind  these  hideous  forces  and 
fatten  upon  the  unspeakable  filth  of  the  under-world. 
The  degraded  politicians  in  our  cities  build  up  their  ma- 
chines from  these  ranks  of  infamy,  and  they  use  the 
blood-money  which  they  extort  in  the  form  of  graft  from 
this  infamous  traffic  to  finance  their  campaigns  and  to 
entrench  themselves  more  deeply  in  power. 

SEGREGATION  A  FAILURE 

Of  one  thing  we  can  now  be  absolutely  sure,  and  that 
is  that  so-called  ^'segregation"  of  this  evil  is  no  remedy 
at  all.  Among  the  scientists  and  sociological  specialists 
who  are  authorities  for  the  statement  that  attempted 
segregation,  with  medical  supervision,  etc.,  tends  to  in- 
crease rather  than  decrease  both  the  vices  themselves  and 
the  diseases  that  flow  from  them,  are  such  men  as  Neis- 
ser,  Blaschko,  Forel,  Lesser,  Van  During,  Fouernier, 
Musterbury  and  Flexner. 

Rexner,  for  example,  in  his  book  on  "Prostitution  in 
Europe,"  after  giving  in  detail  the  statistics  proving  his 


90       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

contention,   summarized  his  conclusions  upon  the  evils 
of  segregation  by  saying: 

"Not  only  is  such  concentration  or  segregation  imprac- 
ticable ;  it  is  highly  undesirable.  Prostitution,  like  crime, 
is  most  dangerous  and  most  offensive  when  it  collects  in 
nests.  The  segregation  of  prostitution,  even  if  feasible, 
would  be  objectionable,  precisely  as  the  segregation  of 
criminals  would  be  objectionable." 

The  Vice  Commissions  of  Chicago,  Minneapolis,  Balti- 
more, the  western  cities  and  other  centers  of  population, 
both  in  the  old  world  and  the  new,  bear  out  these  con- 
clusions of  the  scientists,  and  are  a  unit  in  declaring  that 
the  segregation  idea  has  absolutely  failed. 

THE  HORROR  OF  IT  ALL 

We  have  become  increasingly  awake  to  the  fact  that 
the  most  awful  destruction  possible  to  humanity  flows 
from  the  violation  of  this  one  of  the  Ten  Command- 
ments. Surely,  as  God  told  the  race  when  He  gave  the 
law,  the  sins  of  the  parents  are  visited  upon  their  chil- 
dren "even  to  the  third  and  fourth  generations." 

Think,  for  one  thing,  of  the  physical  horrors  which 
flow  from  the  violation  of  God's  righteous  laws.  I  shall 
not  shock  you  by  going  into  any  details  about  the  horrible 
consequences  of  the  diseases  that  flow  from  this  sin.  I 
will  only  give  some  general  facts,  taken  from  scientific 
and  governmental  authorities.  Apart  from  the  record 
in  insanity,  these  authorities  show  that  ninety-five  per 
cent,  of  the  blindness  of  children  is  traceable  to  these  sck 
cial  diseases,  and  that  a  very  large  p>ercentage  of  eye, 
ear,  nose  and  throat  diseases  are  traceable  to  the  same 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  91 

source.  Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  certain  forms  of  dis- 
eases of  the  heart,  arteries,  etc.,  and  a  very  large  per- 
centage of  tuberculosis  is  due  to  these  diseases,  inherited 
or  acquired,  by  breaking  down  the  resisting  force  of  the 
individual  and  thereby  making  him  more  susceptible  to 
these  deadly  germs.  Between  sixty  and  seventy-five  per 
cent,  of  the  cases  of  diseases  peculiar  to  women,  as  shown 
by  hospital  statistics,  are  due  to  these  diseases.  Eighty 
per  cent,  of  all  women  who  die  from  pelvic  diseases  come 
to  their  end  through  these  causes.  i\bout  sixty  per  cent. 
of  the  surgical  operations  performed  upon  women  for 
pelvic  disorders  are  due  to  social  diseases,  almost  all  of 
them  innocently  contracted  or  passed  down  by  heredity. 
Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  childless  marriages  are  due  to 
this  cause,  contracted  usually  innocently  and  unsuspect- 
ingly. Eighty-five  per  cent,  of  all  children  born  from 
parents  tainted  with  these  diseases  are  either  dead  at 
birth  or  die  soon  after,  or  are  feeble-minded,  blind  or 
crippled  for  life. 

It  is  stated  by  authorities  and  experts  that  practically 
every  woman  leading  this  evil  life  becomes  infected  soon- 
er or  later.  Usually  it  is  very  soon,  and  the  deadly 
danger  to  a  community  from  these  diseases  is  apparent 
in  the  light  of  this  shocking  truth.  A  recent  investigation 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  for  example,  showed  that  the 
number  of  cases  of  these  loathsome  diseases  was  almost 
as  large  as  the  cases  of  measles,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever, 
chicken  pox,  small  pox,  tuberculosis,  and  all  other  con- 
tagions diseases  combined . 

And  the  health  authorities  both  of  New  York  City  and 
of  the  nation  have  been  warning  us  recently,  through 
the  public  prints,  that  sixty  per  cent,  of  men  are  already 
infected  with  these  awful  diseases.     In  the  light  of  this 


92       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

truth,  every  father  of  to-day  ought  to  see  to  it  that  the 
man  his  daughter  marries  is  at  least  physically  clean! 


NOT  A  ''necessary  EVIL'* 

But  some  say  that  this  is  a  "necessary  evil."  There  is 
no  such  thing  as  a  necessary  evil.  God  did  not  build 
tnis  world  tiiat  way.  ''Necessary  evil"  is  a  contradiction 
^t  terms.  The  leading  scientists  of  the  world  have  agreed 
that  sexual  indulgence  is  not  necessary  to  the  health  or 
well-being  of  menT  Flexner  pointedly  says  on  this  ques- 
tion: 

"Nothing  is  more  readily  susceptible  of  artificial  stimu- 
lation than  prostitution  and  the  recourse  of  men  to  pros- 
titutes. For  example,  men  can  be  led  to  believe  immoral- 
ity necessary  and  wholesome.  Time  was  when  European 
medical  men  favored  this  view,  and  practice  conformed 
without  opposition  to  this  demoralizing  theory.  Now, 
for  the  most  part,  they  take  precisely  the  opposite  view. 
They  regard  masculine  continence  as  feasible  and  whole- 
some ;  sexual  irregularity  is  in  consequence  less  generally 
condoned  and  is  probably  beginning  to  diminish." 

Three  hundred  amLAfty-eight  leading  physicians  of 
the  United  States  have  signed  a  paper  certifying  that 
incontinence  is  not  necessary  to  physical  health. 

Again  some  have  said  that  this  is  a  "necessary  evil" 
'to  protect  decent  women,  but  investigations  by  the  Dis- 
trict Attorney's  Office  of  New  York  disclosed  the  fact 
that  crimes  against  women  were  committed  in  the  vast 
majority  of  cases  by  men  who  were  frequenters  of  the 
segregated  district  and  not  by  those  who  did  not  go  to 
such  places  of  vice. 

The  church  must  join  hands  with  the  scientists  and 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  93 

teachers  of  today  in  leading  the  children  of  men  to  see 
that  purity  is  the  natural  and  normal  state,  and  that  im- 
purity is  not  only  unnecessary,  but  abnormal,  abominable, 
and  unnatural.  Why  do  we  use  such  a  term  as  "fallen 
woman"?  Fallen  from  what ?  Why  do  we  say  "fallen"? 
Is  it  not,  as  Mr.  Harold  Begbie  asks,  because  it  is  instinc- 
tive and  natural  that  all  women  should  be  upon  the 
high  plane  of  purity  and  honor?  Why  is  it  that  even  the 
most  compassionate  think  of  a  fallen  woman  with  shud- 
dering and  disgust?  How  is  it  that  men,  the  most  coarse 
and  the  most  base,  speak  with  scorn  of  a  public  woman? 
Is  it  not  because,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  men  see 
in  a  disreputable  and  bad  woman  the  contradiction  of  an 
original  ideal,  the  disappointment  and  disillusion  of  a  nat- 
ural, an  inherent,  and  an  essential  passion  of  the  soul, — 
namely,  the  passion  for  maternity? 

According  to  the  great  authority,  Forel,  prostitution 
never  became  estabhshed  among  primitive  peoples;  and 
savage  tribes  designated  the  age  at  which  their  young 
men  were  permitted  to  assume  paternity.  All  the  higher 
tribes  of  monkeys  even  are  strictly  monogamous,  and 
many  species  of  birds  are  faithful  to  one  mate  season 
after  season.  Indeed,  it  is  an  interesting  and  important 
truth  that  among  all  the  lower  animals,  there  is  no  female 
■creature  that  can  he  even  remotely  likeneH  to  a  fallen 
woman.  Not  even  among  the  most  degraded  beasts  of 
the  field  and  forest  is  there  a  thing  so  perverted.  You 
cannot  find  among  any  of  the  animals  a  search  after  lust 
in  itself  and  for  itself;  and  this  great  biological  fact  is  a 
fundamental  and  final  proof  that  purity  is  natural,  while 
impurity  is  non-natural.  The  church  must  proclaim  thisV) 
great  truth,  and  thus  destroy  the  devil's  argument  that  A 
the  social  sin  is  a  "necessary  evil." 


94       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

DANGERS  IN  ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS 

We  need  also  to  recognize  the  fact,  in  connection  with 
the  increase  of  social  sins  and  the  diseases  that  go  with 
them,  that  the  congested  conditions  of  our  modern  life 
increase  the  dangers  of  moral  laxity;  and  the  nerve-rack- 
ing strain  under  which  the  men  and  women  of  to-day 
are  having  to  work  further  increases  the  danger  of  re- 
laxing the  bonds  of  moral  restraint.  Especially  is  this 
true  of  women.  The  change  from  individual  work,  with 
personally  owned  tools,  to  corporation  work,  and  the 
modern  wage  system,  did  two  things  to  woman :  First 
of  all,  it  drove  the  poorer  women  out  of  the  home,  where 
they  had  always  labored,  and  put  them  into  the  factory, 
the  store,  the  office  and  the  shop.  Woman  could  no 
longer  weave  her  cloth  with  the  hand  loom  at  home, 
when  great  mills  were  turning  out  the  cloth  at  the  rate 
of  thousands  of  yards  a  day,  and  so  she  had  to  follow 
her  work,  just  as  man  had  done,  from  the  home  to  the 
marts  of  business  and  trade.  So  it  was  in  every  field 
of  Her  activity.  And  the  growth  of  poverty  among  the 
masses,  added  to  the  increasing  cost  of  living,  has  made 
woman's  struggle  all  the  more  difficult,  and  consequently 
she  has  constantly  before  her  the  danger  of  being  tempted 
by  want  into  unchastity. 

SOLD  OUT  FOR  A  PAIR  OF  SHOES 

Jane  Addams  tells  the  touching  story  of  a  working 
girl  who  first  yielded  to  temptation  when  she  had  be- 
come utterly  discouraged  because  she  had  striven  in  vain 
for  seven  months  to  save  enough  money  for  a  pair  of 
shoes.    She  habitually  spent  two  dollars  a  week  for  her 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  95 

room,  three  dollars  for  her  board,  sixty  cents  a  week  for 
carfare,  and  she  had  found  the  forty  cents  remaining 
from  her  weekly  wage  of  six  dollars  inadequate  to  do 
more  than  re-sole  her  old  shoes  twice.  When  the  shoes 
became  too  worn  to  endure  a  third  soling,  and  she  pos- 
sessed but  ninety  cents  toward  a  new  pair,  she  gave  up 
the  struggle.  To  use  her  own  contemptuous  phrase,  as 
she  told  her  story  to  Miss  Addams,  she  ''sold  out  for  a 
pair  of  shoes''! 

The  folly  of  organized  society  in  tolerating  present 
conditions,  is  shown  by  the  comparison  between  the 
valuation  that  modern  business  puts  upon  a  woman's 
work  and  the  valuation  which  the  promoters  of  vice  put 
upon  it.  After  showing  that  the  yearly  earnings  of  the 
average  prostitute  are  about  $2,600 — one-half  of  which 
goes  to  her  net,  that  is,  $1,300  per  annum,  or  $25.00 
per  week,  the  report  of  the  Vice  Commission  of  Chicago 
says: 

'This  is  5  per  cent,  on  $26,000.  The  average  wage 
paid  to  girls  in  a  department  store  is  $6.00  per  week,  or 
$300  per  annum.  This  is  5  per  cent,  on  $6,000.  In  other 
words,  a  girl  represents  a  capitalization  value  of  $26,000 
as  a  professional  prostitute,  where  brains,  virtue  and  all 
other  good  things  are  *nil,'  or  more  than  four  times  as 
much  as  she  is  worth,  as  a  factor  in  the  industrial  and 
social  economy,  where  brains,  intelligence,  virtue  and 
womanly  charm  should  be  worth  a  premium."  (The 
Report  of  the  Vice  Commission  of  Chicago,  p.  104.) 

I  can  never  forget  how  the  force  of  this  economic 
pressure  in  human  life  was  brought  home  to  my  own 
heart.  During  my  pastorate  in  Chicago,  there  was  a 
widow  and  her  daughter  who  were  members  of  our 
church.    The  daughter  was  a  beautiful  girl  of  eighteen. 


96       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

She  and  her  mother  both  worked.  The  mother  earned 
$6.00  a  week  and  the  girl  $5.00,  and  by  combining  their 
salaries  they  managed  to  live.  But  I  saw  that  dear  moth- 
er lie  down  and  die  and  leave  that  girl  alone  to  battle 
with  the  terrific  conditions  of  modern  city  life.  At  that 
time  I  had  not  given  much  thought  to  these  great  ques- 
tions and  therefore  was  careless  of  the  girl's  welfare. 
The  pastor  and  deacons  of  our  church  did  not  stop  to 
remember  that,  with  the  mother's  slender  wages  gone, 
the  girl  would  not  possibly  have  enough  to  pay  room- 
rent,  clothe  and  feed  herself  and  care  for  the  other 
necessary  expenses  of  her  life.  We  were  all,  therefore, 
shocked,  and  greatly  distressed  to  learn  a  few  weeks 
after  the  mother's  death,  that  that  girl  had  been  swept 
down  into  the  terrible  whirlpool  of  vice ! 

THE  SINS  OF  *'HIGH  SOCIETY" 

But  those  who  fall  in  the  humbler  ranks  of  society  are 
not  the  only  sinners  of  to-day.  A  campaign  of  agitation 
and  publicity  ought  to  be  conducted,  not  only  against  the 
crass  and  vulgar  vices  of  the  underworld,  but  also 
against  the  more  refined  and  yet  equally  ruinous  abomi- 
nations of  so-called  ''high  society."  The  indulgences  of 
men  and  women  in  such  society  set  the  pace  and  give  the 
example  for  the  city  all  down  the  line.  Let  all  such  be 
branded  before  the  community  for  what  they  are.  Let 
us  sweep  as  a  pestilence  from  the  face  of  the  earth  the 
business  man  whoTives  a  double  life,  and  is  thus  a  traitor 
to  his  home,  the  covetous  man  who  makes  abnormal  prof- 
its by  renting  his  property  foFuriholy  purposes,  and  the^ 
gay  libertine  who  parades  our  streets  with  a  smirk,  ruins 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  97 

defenseless  ^girls,  and  then  boasts  of  his  standing  in  so- 
ciety ! 

Justice  demands  the  abolition  of  the  double  standard 
of  morals.  Justice  demands  that  men  be  held  equally 
guilty  with  women,  when  they  transgress  God's  law  of 
chastity.  It  is  useless  for  society  to  ostracise  a  girl — ■ 
often  a  weaker  personality — because  she  has  transgressed, 
when  the  man  who  has  ruined  her  is  still  welcomed  into 
the  best  homes  and  is  allowed  to  flourish  as  a  "leader'* 
of  business  and  of  society. 

And  surely  New  York  needs  the  creation  of  a  right 
conscience  upon  these  tremendously  important  questions. 
We  have  passed  laws  for  the  abatement  of  commercial- 
ized vice,  and  have  abolished  the  segregated  district,  so- 
called,  and  yet  public  opinion  in  this  city  has  been  so 
lax  in  connection  with  the  conditions  in  the  theaters, 
cabarets,  and  even  in  high  social  circles,  that  the  increase 
in  clandestine  immorality  is  simply  staggering.  We  have 
made  some  progress  upon  the  surface,  but  at  heart  our 
modern  society  is  rottener  than  it  has  ever  been.  The 
increasing  brazenness  of  stage  vulgarities,  the  increasing 
indecencies  of  women's  dress,  and  the  alarming  increase 
of  social  diseases  are  all  symptoms  that  prove  these  sad 
and  tragic  truths.  It  looks  as  though  any  man,  especially 
in  New  York,  who  has  money  enough  and  social  posi- 
tion enough,  can  do  anything  that  he  wishes  and  get  off 
scot  free  with  it. 

THE   SHONTS'    CASE 

Without  mentioning  the  less  notable  cases,  of  which  1 
there  have  been  many  in  recent  times,  think  for  a  mo- 
ment of  the  case  of  that  prominent  business  man  and 


98       THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

club  and  social  favorite,  whose  death  a  short  time  ago 
brought  publicity  concerning  his  desertion  of  his  home 
and  his  wife,  and  his  willing  of  his  fortune  to  the  other 
woman  in  the  case.  He  was  the  president  of  one  of 
our  greatest  corporations,  a  member  of  the  leading  clubs, 
and  a  member  of  the  church,  and  yet  he  brazenly 
flaunted  his  vices  before  the  city's  eyes,  going  to  hotels 
with  the  other  woman,  driving  with  her  through  our 
streets,  maintaining  a  second  home  where  she  reigned, 
and  then,  when  death  claimed  him,  he  left  his  money 
to  her  before  the  world! 

All  of  these  facts  about  him  and  his  life  were  of 
necessity  known  in  the  high  social  and  business  circles 
of  this  city,  and  yet  nothing  was  done  about  it.  No 
cluB  expelled  him,  no  church  took  any  notice  of  these 
notorious  wrongs,  and  even  in  connection  with  the 
funeral  no  moral  lesson  was  drawn  by  preacher  or  press, 
but  a  eulogy  was  pronounced  because  of  his  large  busi- 
ness services  to  the  community.  So  far  as  New  York 
seemed  to  care,  this  man  could  have  violated  every  one 
of  those  great  principles  of  purity  and  righteousness, 
which  are  the  very  foundation  stones  of  all  civilization, 
and  yet  New  Yorkers  would  have  done  nothing  about 
it.  That  case  has  profoiiiidly  injured  the  moral  tone 
of  this  community.  I  have  heard  of  young  men  who 
excused  their  own  moral  laxity  by  pointing  to  this  no- 
torious wrongdoing  at  the  very  top  of  the  social  and 
business  scale,  which  has  gone  unrebuked  by  press  or 
pulpit.  If  the  wronged  wife  is  finally  robbed,  and  the 
other  woman  gets  this  money,  j^ill  not  the  tendency  be 
for  every  weak  girl  in  the  city  to  aslc  herself  the  ques- 
tion: **If  she  did  these  things,  and  got  away  with  it,  and 
now  flourishes,  why  may  not  I?" 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY  99 

These,  my  friends,  are  tremendous  issues.  There  are 
none  more  vital  or  important.  They  go  to  the  very 
foundation  of  all  stable  and  wholesome  social  life. 

In  the  light  of  God's  eternal  truth,  I  wish  to  raise  the 
question  here,  whether  there  are  any  moral  standards 
at  all  now  left  in  New  York  City?  I  have  dared  to  raise y 
my  voice  from  time  to  time  against  some  of  the  more 
flagrant  indecencies  of  the  city's  life.  I  have  done 
this  not  only  as  a  minister  of  religion,  but  as  a  father 
who  is  trying  to  rear  a  family  of  five  children  in  this 
city.  Many  have  thought  me  extreme;  many  have  ridi- 
culed me;  many  have  laughed  at  me;  many  have  abused 
me;  many  have  poured  out  the  vials  of  their  wrath  in 
scurrilous  letters  and  even  in  the  public  prints;  but  once 
more,  despite  all  this,  I  lift  up  my  voice  in  humble  pro- 
test against  the  conditions  that  are  winked  at  and  accepted 
in  our  city.  They  are  ruinous  conditions.  They  are  the 
same  conditions  that  overthrew  the  beauty  of  Athens 
and  Rome;  that  made  ancient  Nineveh  a  desert,  and 
that  brought  down  the  very  fires  of  God  on  Sodom  and  v 
Gomorrah. 

A    BUSINESS    man's   TESTIMONY 

The  only  consolation  I  have  is  that  I  see  at  last  some 
few  evidences  of  the  stirring  of  New  York's  sluggish 
conscience  over  these  tremendous  evils.  I  have  here 
before  me,  for  example,  a  most  thoughtful  article  from 
a  keen  and  well-equipped  observer,  printed  in  one  of  I 
gtir  nnancial  magazines.  This  man,  note  you,  as  he 
himself  says,  is  not  a  preacher  nor  a  moralist,  but  a 
business  man.  The  following  extracts  from  his  very 
frank  and  very  truthful  article,  therefore,  are  the  more 
striking  and  weighty.     He  says : 


lOo     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

**Tlie  principal  topics  of  conversation  seem  to  be  sex 
j  and  sexuality.  The  jazz  craze  shows  this  excess  of  sexu- 
al individualism  in  a  rnost""virulent  f offfT  I  visited  one 
of  the  most  famous  midnight  show^s  on  Broadway  the 
other  evening.  The  place  simply  reeked  with  the  com- 
mingled odors  of  cheap  perfume  and  expensive  food.  One 
suggestive  song  followed  another.  The  dances  of  the 
performers  were  exactly  the  same  as  those  performed  for 
men  only  in  'resorts'  in  former  years.  Not  content  with 
singing  these  songs  on  the  platform,  the  singers  formed 
in  line,  the  girls  sandwiched  between  the  men,  and 
marched  around  between  the  tables,  swaying  in  the  most 
suggestive  manner  possible.  Not  a  single  person  sitting 
at  the  tables  protested.  In  fact  they  all  smiled  their  ap- 
/  proval.  And  as  for  the  ^shimmy'  craze,  it  is  worse  than 
the  jazz  craze.  I  have  seen  dancing  in  many  parts  of  the 
world.  I  have  watched  the  natives  dance  in  Algiers.  I 
have  witnessed  similar  performances  in  Constantinople, 
and  I  have  been  familiar  with  many  dances  in  Paris,  but 
I  have  never  seen  any  dancing  more  lascivious  than  the 
present  day  'shimmy.'  Yet  it  is  publicly  danced  by  our 
so-called  'best  people.*  Every  first-class  restaurant  has  a 
space  reserved  for  it.  Ten  years  ago  such  dancing  was 
only  tolerated  in  places  of  evil  repute.  To-day  it  is  ac- 
cepted as  part  of  our  life,  without  a  blush.  The  shimmy 
has  spread  from  the  'dive'  to  the  restaurant,  from  the 
restaurant  even  to  the  home.  Now  I  am  not  a  moralist. 
I  am  not  a  preacher.  I  am  not  a  custodian  of  the  public's 
I  morals.  Nor  have  I  any  authority  or  power  to  change 
/  existing  conditions.  I  am  merely  an  onlooker.  I  do  not 
/  visit  cabarets,  for  I  prefer  to  dine  where  I  can  hear  my 
'  companion  talk.  Nor  do  I  indulge  in  jazz  dancing.  I 
avoid  crowds  whenever  it  is  possible.  But  I  take  notes 
on  conditions  from  time  to  time.  The  more  nearly  the 
New  York  woman  of  fashion  can  dress  like  the  demi- 
monde, the  more  pleased  she  seems  to  he.  The  women 
members  of  our  best  families  dress  as  only  the  most 
brazen  women  of  the  underworld  abroad  would  think  of 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY    loi 

dressing.     They  leave  nothing  to  the  imagination.   Then, 
too,  our  magazines  and  books  reflect  the  general  trend  of  i 
mind.     The  most  successful  magazines  are  those  filledj 
with  stories  of  sex.     Every  book  on  sex  and  sexuality  ij 
in  demand.     The  effect  of  all  this  sex  literature  cannot 
be  otherwise  than  bad." 


THE  MORAL  EVILS  IN  THE  HOTELS 

This  same  writer  then  frankly  and  fearlessly  states 
the  fact,  that  all  who  are  familiar  with  conditions  know, 
namely,    th^  many    hotels  _and    prominent    apartment 
houses  of  this  city  are  filled  with  women,  su^goJlSd-bjL 
wealtny  men  from  the  outside.    He  says  of  these  women : 

'They  dine  nightly  in  the  hotels  and  restaurants.  Time 
hangs  heavy  on  their  hands.  They  fill  the  theaters,  and 
after  the  performance,  the  cabaret  is  their  dumping 
ground.  The  number  of  these  women  is  appalling.  One 
of  the  most  fashionable  hotels  in  New  York,  which  shel- 
ters many  notable  New  Yorkers,  including  a  friend  of 
mine,  also  shelters  no  less  than  forty-four  of  these  wom- 
en. I  had  a  detective  ma^e  all  iiivesttgatiajl-Oft  m3rbwn 
account,  to  ascertain  these  facts. 

"In  foreign  cities  certain  places  of  amusement,  for 
instance,  are  restricted  to  the  demi-monde.  Here  in  New 
York  the  respectable  young  matron  and  the  demi-monde 
dine  in  the  same  restaurants  and  dance  on  the  same  floor. 
The  very  music  they  dance  to  has  become  corrupted. 
Ja.zz  has  a  sensuous  rhythm  which  is  demoralizing.'' 

This  well-informed  business  man  and  thoughtful  ob- 
server then  gives  us  what,  in  his  judgment,  are  the 
causes  of  this  excess  of  sexual  individualism.  He  says 
that  New  York  is  suffering  from  these  evils  because: 

"All  existing  social  barriers  have  been  broken  down.!  ' 
New  Yorkers  have  no  restraint  of  any  kind.     There  is  '^ 


102     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

no  restraint  of  tradition,  because  we  have  no  tradition. 
There  is  no  restraint  of  reHgion,  because  we  are  not  re- 
ligious. There  is  no  restraint  of  custom,  of  nationahty, 
of  anything.  The  individual  is  placed  above  everything 
else." 

In  other  words,  according  to  this  well-known  business 
man,  writing  in  a  financial  magazine  connected  with  one 
of  our  strong  business  firms.  New  York  is  already  just 
about  completely  paganized!  Coming  from  such  a 
source,  this  is  indeed  a  terrific  indictment.  No  individual, 
no  race,  no  city  can  disregard  elemental  decency  and 
violate  God's  righteous  law  without  finally  paying  the 
full  penalty  for  it.  Every  great  civilization  of  the  past 
has  decayed  precisely  at  this  point.  Juvenal  had  to  de- 
scribe the  Roman  woman  as : 

"Lewd,  petulent,  and  reeling  ripe  with  wine." 

When  Rome's  women  reached  that  stage,  the  last  hope 
for  their  civilization  was  gone ;  and  unless  we  of  to-day, 
even  with  all  of  our  enlightenment,  our  scientific  achieve- 
ments and  our  vast  wealth,  come  back  to  the  paths  of 
purity  and  obedience  to  God,  the  fires  of  judgment  will 
bum  out  the  very  heart  of  our  society,  and  all  our  boasted 
greatness  will  be  of  no  avail. 

"protective  association"  for  wives 

The  unholy  triangle  of  husband,  wife  and  lover  is  one 
of  the  most  menacing  facts  of  modern  society.  This  is 
the  well-nigh  universal  theme  in  the  modern  novel,  maga- 
zine, and  theater,  and  conditions  have  become  so  alarm- 
ing that  the  women  are  beginning  to  organize  in  self- 
defense.    The  news  dispatches  of  yesterday  brought  the 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY    103 

account  of  such  an  organization  in  one  of  the  smaller  Penn- 
gylvanian  cities.  A  group  of  sixty-six  of  the  leading 
women  of  that  community  have  organized  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  the  moral  pedigrees  of  their  husbands.  These 
women  propose  to  establish  a  sort  of  moral  credit  bureau, 
for  the  purpose  of  gathering  all  the  requisite  facts  re- 
garding each  husband's  conduct,  keeping  these  facts  on 
file  at  headquarters,  to  be  submitted  in  a  confidential 
manner  to  any  woman  who  suspects  her  husband  and 
asks  his  rating. 

If  this  reported  organization  is  bona  fide,  it  certainly 
is  a  terrible  commentary  on  moral  conditions.  It  seems 
from  one  viewpoint  an  absurd  thing,  and  yet  there  is  so 
much  of  double  living  on  the  part  of  men  to-day  that 
unless  the  forces  of  Christianity  are  looked  to,  to  re- 
establish a  right  home  life,  and  unless  the  seventh  com- 
mandment of  God's  law  is  obeyed,  it  will  not  be  long  be- 
fore such  steps  will  be  taken  by  women  everywhere. 

God  knows  modern  womanhood  is  guilty  of  much 
folly  in  the  matter  of  indecent  dressing,  dancing,  etc., 
and  all  of  these  things  have  tended  to  lower  the  moral 
standards  and  to  destroy  men's  reverence  and  respect 
for  womanhood,  but  the  men  of  to-day  deserve  the  con- 
demnation which  such  an  organization  as  this  in  Penn- 
sylvania has  passed  upon  them.  Too  long  has  it  been 
the  case  that  many  men  have  regarded  women  as  their 
legitimate  prey. 

And  apart  from  this  reported  organization  of  wives, 
certainly  the  decent  fathers  and  mothers  of  to-day  ought 
to  maintain  a  closer  watch-care  over  their  daughters,  and 
it  is  a  solemn  duty  that  a  father  owes  to  his  daughter 
to  know  that  the  man  whom  she  is  marrying  is  at  least 
physically  clean. 


104     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

But  all  of  our  laws  of  eugenics,  and  all  of  our  organ- 
ization of  wives  will  not  solve  this  problem.  The  hu- 
man heart  must  be  changed  so  that  it  will  love  the  things 
that  are  holy  and  true  and  will  gladly  obey  God's 
righteous  law.  Once  more  at  this  point  the  disregard  of 
religion  and  the  decay  of  the  churches  has  resulted  in 
these  colossal  sins,  which  are  endangering  the  very  foun- 
dations of  human  society. 

PATRIOTISM  AND  RELIGION  BOTH  AT  STAKE 

The  pulpit,  the  press,  the  parents  of  our  city,  and 
every  man  and  woman  within  our  borders  who  stands 
for  decency  and  who  loves  righteousness,  ought  now  to 
bestir  themselves  for  the  tearing  down  of  the  strong- 
holds of  Satan,  the  reestablishments  of  faith  in  Al- 
mighty God,  and  of  obedience  to  His  righteous  laws. 
We  need  once  more  to  hear  the  thunders  of  Sinai  say- 
ing, *'Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."  And  that  ap- 
plies as  much  to  the  millionaire  as  to  the  hobo!  The 
mere  gilding  of  vice  does  not  change  its  pernicious  char- 
acter.     Vice  is  vice,  'rerlj.ftl^fr  dr^.^xpd  i.i^  rqrf^  and  pfgf- 

tised  in  a  hovel,  or  dressed  in  purpleand  practised  in  a 
\_palg££^ 

We  need  to  hear  not  only  the  thunders  of  Sinai,  but 
we  need  to  also  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus  Christ  proclaim- 
ing to  us  His  yet  higher  standard  of  ethics,  when  He  said 
that  even  one  who  looked  upon  a  woman  to  lust  after 
her  committed  sin  in  his  heart.  We  need  to  hold  up  to 
wrath  and  scorn  not  only  those  who  transgress  the  laws 
of  righteousness,  but  also  those  who  allow  purity  and 
dignity  to  be  soiled  by  loose  talk  and  loose  company :  the 
reader  and  the  writer  of  filthy  books ;  the  publishers  of 


SCARLET  STAIN  OF  SEXUAL  IMPURITY     105 

obscene  pictures  in  our  newspapers;  the  caterers  to  lust 
in  our  theaters ;  and  even  those  high  in  social  and  busi- 
ness position  who  disregard  the  sanctity  of  the  marriage 
bond,  which  has  been  the  glory  of  our  Anglo-Saxon  home 
life.  However  much  we  may  excuse  or  pity  those  who 
have  gone  astray,  we  need  to  hold  to  the  stern  standards 
of  God's  righteousness.  No  circumstances  can  justify 
us  in  making  light  of  that  which,  disregarded  in  one  case, 
becomes  a  danger  to  all,  which  lost  in  one  case  means 
the  ruin  of  all.  And  let  us  well  know  this,  that  if  pres- 
ent tendencies  continue,  it  means  not  only  the  loss  of 
Christianity,  but  also  the  loss  of  civilization,  the  defeat 
of  liberty,  and  a  relapse  into  Barbarism. 

What  shall  it  profit  us  if  we  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  yet  lose  our  own  souls?  Our  towering  office  build- 
ings, our  commercial  success,  our  beautiful  boulevards 
and  our  piled  up  treasures  of  money  and  science  and 
art,  are  all  of  no  avail,  if  these  noble  and  austere  ideals 
of  righteousness  are  lost,  which  gave  us  in  the  past  a 
womanhood,  graced  with  the  jewel  of  chastity,  a  man- 
hood honorable  and  true,  a  home  life  that  was  clean  and 
wholesome,  and  a  religion  that  pointed  the  children  of 
men  up  to  the  shining  heights  of  Heaven! 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  RE-ESTABLISHMENT   OF  A   RIGHT   HOME 

LIFE,  THE  MAINSTAY  OF  THE 

REPUBLIC 

The  fundamental  need  of  human  society  to-day  is 
the  reestabHshment  of  a  right  home  Hfe.  Out  of  the 
home,  at  last,  flow  all  of  the  forces  that  make  our  edu- 
cational system,  our  religion,  and  our  society  what  they 
ought  to  be.  The  proper  care  of  childhood  and,  meet- 
ing that,  the  reverence  and  love  of  parents  by  children, 
is  set  forth  in  the  fifth  commandment,  and  in  the  sixth 
verse  of  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  Proverbs.  The 
commandment  reads,  "Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother, 
that  thy  days  may- be  long  in  the  land  that  the  Lord  thy 
God  giveth  thee"  (Ex.  20:12),  and  the  verse  in  Proverbs 
says,  "Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and 
when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it.**  God  prom- 
ises all  who  heed  these  precepts,  the  blessing  of  long 
life.  This  promise  applies  to  the  modern  man  as  much 
as  it  did  to  the  ancient  Jew.  We  Americans  cannot  ex- 
pect to  have,  as  a  heritage,  the  goodly  heights  of  Lebanon 
and  the  forests  of  Gilead,  the  snow-crowned  summit  of 
Mount  Hermon,  the  beauties  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  or 
the  picturesque  wonders  of  the  Jordan  valley;  and  yet 
the  obligation  of  parents  to  rear  their  children  aright, 
and  the  obligation  of  children  to  hold  in  tender  affection 
and  highest  honor  the  parents  who  gave  them  life  and 

106 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  107 

nurtured  their  tender  ^ears,  has  not  been  diminished,  but 
rather  has  grown  with  the  passing  centuries.  The  love 
of  a  son  for  a  good  mother,  the  respect  of  a  child  for 
a  true  father — these  are  among  the  holiest  and  most 
beautiful  things  of  earthly  life. 

Personally,  I  can  never  get  away  from  the  debt  which 
I  owe  to  my  own  parents.  My  memories  of  my  home  life 
are  altogether  lovely.  To  me,  childhood  was  a  paradise, 
and  the  joys  of  youth  were  mixed  with  but  little  of 
shadow,  because  of  a  godly  father  and  a  tender  and  lov- 
ing mother.  And  these  home  memories  and  influences 
have  been  the  strength  and  inspiration  of  my  life. 

THE   DANGER    POINT    TO-DAY 

Is  it  not  true  that  the  greatest  danger  point  in  cr.r  so- 
ciety to-day  is  the  decay  of  the  home  life  of  the  people? 
We  are  surrendering  more  and  more  to  the  materialistic 
conditions  of  our  modern  life,  and  the  home  circle  is 
being  broken  up.  The  family  altar  has  decayed  almost 
universally,  and  more  and  more  we  are  going  outside 
of  our  homes  for  recreation  and  pleasure.  With  multi- 
tudes of  people  to-day,  it  seems  that  home  is  the  last 
place  they  want  to  be.  When  everything  else  has  played 
out,  they  go  home.  For  any  family  to  really  develop 
along  wholesome  and  normal  lines,  the  members  of  the 
family  need  to  be  much  together.  But  with  the  father  gone 
all  day  in  business,  and  the  mother  also  often  gone  all 
day  in  society  and  at  club  and  theater,  the  unity  of  the 
home  life  is  sadly  broken  up.  Instead  of  gathering 
around  the  fireside  or  at  the  piano,  as  in  the  olden  days, 
for  loving  fellowship  and  joyful  songs,  as  soon  as  sup- 
per is  over,  the  members  of  the  average  home  to-day 


io8     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

scatter,  far  and  near.  The  young  people  go  to  the  thea- 
ter, the  movie,  or  the  dance  hall,  or  some  worse  place  of 
resort,  and  even  the  mother  and  the  father  are  often 
found  leaving  their  homes  seeking  their  social  satis- 
factions elsewhere.  These  conditions  are  fundamentally 
harmful. 

After  many  years  of  observation  as  a  pastor  in  the 
homes  of  the  people,  I  record  it  here  as  a  profound  con- 
viction of  my  mind  and  heart  that  the  modern  theater 
and  movie  show  have  done  more  than  any  other 
single  force  to  mar  and  destroy  the  holier  things  of  hu- 
man life.  Especially  have  they  harmed  the  home  life 
and  the  children  of  to-day.  I  rejoice  to  see  that  my  old 
friend,  Dr.  M.  P.  Boynton,  of  Chicago,  has  recently  de- 
nounced these  evils  in  most  scathing  terms.  His  denun- 
ciation, is  none  too  strong.  He  truly  says  that  the  aver- 
age show,  both  in  theater  and  movie  house,  appeals  to 
the  grosser  lusts  of  the  flesh  and  strikes  at  those  very 
ideals  which  in  the  past  have  made  the  home  strong  and 
young  people  clean  and  respectful  to  parents. 

The  modern  show  maker  thinks  the  public  wants  the 
wicked  side  of  life  exposed,  and  so  he  makes  assault 
upon  the  fundamentals  of  civilization.  The  crook  is 
made  a  joke.  Stealing  is  funny.  Swearing  is  enter- 
taining. The  double  meaning  is  the  end  of  wit.  Infi- 
delity and  illicit  love  are  the  real  spice  of  life.  The  silly, 
smoking,  swearing,  shocking  woman  is  the  regular  fel- 
low. The  home  is  tame.  The  shop  and  store 
are  drudgery.  Prohibition  is  a  calamity  and  drunken- 
ness a  lost  virtue.  The  clergyman  is  a  fool  and  the 
Church  a  misty  memory  of  those  funny  Sunday  school 
days.     Even  mother  is  no  longer  revered  and  father  is 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  109 

always  a  sly  old  rascal.    God  is  a  convenient  swear  word 
and  Heaven  is  the  biggest  joke  of  all. 


THE    PERTNESS    OF    MODERN    CHILDREN 

Do  we  not  see  already  on  every  side  the  evidences  of 
the  evil  fruitage  from  this  wrong  sowing?  The  pertness 
of  many  children  to-day,  their  sophistication,  even  when 
they  are  very  young,  and  their  flippant  attitude  toward 
their  parents  and  all  grown  people  is  often  shocking. 
The  use  of  such  expressions  in  connection  with  the  father 
as  "the  Governor,"  and  in  connection  with  mothers  as 
"the  old  lady'*  are  distressing  symptoms  of  wrong  ten- 
dencies. Do  we  not,  however,  need  to  face  the  question 
whether  the  parents  are  not  really  the  ones  who  should 
be  blamed  for  such  unfortunate  conditions  wherever  they 
exist?  If  parents  do  not  bring  up  their  children  in  the 
way  they  should  go,  need  they  be  surprised  if  in  the 
after  years,  those  children  are  lacking  in  reverence,  re- 
spect, and  even  love  for  them? 

When  we  look  thoughtfully  at  the  motherhood  of  to- 
day, how  much  of  it  can  we  say  is  really  Christian f  Cer- 
tainly not  that  part  of  it  in  which  wives  and  mothers 
seem  to  live  for  nothing  except  the  vapid  vanities  of  so- 
cial life,  with  its  selfish  ambitions,  its  feverish  haste  and 
its  disgusting  and  vulgar  efforts  at  display,  where  the 
hostess  tries  to  outdo  all  the  past  performances  of  her 
rivals.  The  type  of  mother  that  turns  over  the  care  of 
the  children  to  the  tender  mercies  of  hired  nurses  and 
spends  her  time  gambling  for  cut  glass  punch  bowls  at 
bridge  whist  parties,  or  attending  the  theater  in  a  half- 
dressed  condition,  can  surely  not  be  called,  by  even  any 
stretch  of  charity,  a  Christian  mother.    Such  mothers 


no     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

may  belong  to  all  the  churches  and  go  through  all  the 
forms  of  religion,  hut  they  know  nothing  of  the  real 
Christ,  or  of  the  meaning  of  His  great  Kingdom.  Nor 
can  they  expect  to  command  much  real  respect  or  rever- 
ence from  their  children. 

There  is  a  tremendous  over-emphasis  to-day  on  the 
frivolous  side  of  life.  These  things  do  not  make  for 
reverence  and  respect  for  parents  on  the  part  of  the  chil- 
dren. 

I  heard  recently  of  one  home  where  the  spring  dress- 
making campaign  was  on.  The  mother  and  four  daugh- 
ters had  been  engaged  for  some  months  in  studying  the 
fashion  plates  and  reading  the  dress  magazines,  and  now 
at  last  the  dressmakers  were  on  hand.  Day  after  day 
the  tremendous  business  of  preparing  the  ''purple  and 
fine  linen"  for  five  society-struck  women  was  in  full  blast. 
In  the  midst  of  it  all,  when  the  little  daughter  of  six  was 
saying  her  prayers  one  night,  at  the  conclusion  of  her 
usual  prayer,  she  exclaimed,  "And,  O  Lord,  make  us 
very  fashionable!"  She  had  caught  the  atmosphere 
around  her.  That  was  a  "Christian"  home;  yet  Jesus 
said  "take  no  thought  what  ye  shall  put  on !" 

THE    HIGHER    MOTHERHOOD 

And  when  we  turn  even  to  the  higher  type  of  mother, 
can  we  claim  that  in  all  cases  they  are  truly  Christian? 
When  we  remember  what  Christianity  really  is;  that 
it  is  the  revelation  of  a  new  life;  the  impartation  of  a 
new  hope;  the  seeking  after  a  new  Kingdom  higher  than 
the  kingdom  of  earth,  must  not  the  conventional  type  of 
womanhood,  even  in  its  higher  reaches,  be  said  to  fall 
below  the  mark?    A  woman  who  devotes  herself  to  her 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  in 

home  life,  who  is  a  faithful  wife,  affectionate  parent, 
who  comforts  her  husband,  and  looks  carefully  to  the 
well-being  of  her  children,  even  before  any  consideration 
of  her  own  happiness;  who  is  industrious,  loving,  hos- 
pitable, given  to  good  works;  when  we  see  such  a  type 
of  woman  to-day,  must  we  not  go  further  and  ask  in 
what  manner  does  this  woman  differ  from  the  good 
women  of  other  nations  and  ages  who  are  not  and  were 
not  Christians?  How  is  such  a  mother  to-day  superior 
to  the  pagan  Roman  matron,  or  better  than  the  Greek 
mother  who  worshiped  her  gods  and  schooled  her  chil- 
dren in  virtue?  ''Do  not  even  the  Publicans  the  same?" 
asked  Jesus  concerning  these  ordinary  duties,  and  then 
He  adds,  *'Be  ye  therefore,"  instituting  thus  once  more 
the  sharp  comparison  between  the  Publicans  or  the  un- 
regenerate  and  those  who  are  Christians — "Be  ye  there- 
fore perfect,  even  as  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect." 

Must  not  the  truly  Christian  mother  then  be  some- 
thing higher  and  greater  than  the  ordinary  "good" 
mother?    Harold  Begbie  says,  in  this  connection: — 

"For,  then,  instead  of  considering  the  worldly  futures 
of  their  children,  and  the  good  repute  of  the  family 
name,  and  instead  of  making  religion  something  laid 
over  the  surface  of  our  lives,  not  something  bursting 
from  the  inmost  depths,  these  good  mothers  would  have 
been  inspired  with  enthusiasm  for  humanity,  would  have 
striven  to  make  their  children  heroes  of  God.  And  this 
is  the  supreme  difference  between  the  good  mother  and 
the  mother  to  whom  Christ  is  in  very  deed  the  revelation 
of  a  new  life.  Not  that  her  children  may  succeed  in  the 
world,  but  rather  that  they  may  help  those  who  do  not 
succeed;  not  that  her  children  may  be  prosperous  and 
renowned,  but  that  the  name  of  humanity  may  lose  its 


112     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

reproach ;  not  that  her  children  should  keep  the  laws  and 
observe  the< conventions  of  the  respectable  world,  but  that 
they  should  keep  only  the  two  great  laws  of  Christ — ^love 
toward  God  and  love  toward  men;  not  that  her  children 
should  strive,  struggle,  and  wrestle  with  the  world,  but 
that  they  should  stand  apart  in  the  simplicities  and  radiat- 
ing peace  of  wills  that  rest  in  God, — this  is  the  passion 
and  these  are  the  ideals  of  the  woman  whose  motherhood 
is  consecrated,  beautiful,  and  rendered  divine  by  the 
Spirit  of  Christ."  ("The  Crisis  of  Morals,"  p.  136.) 

/  Such  a  mother  as  this  will  dress  modestly  and  live 
discreetly.     She  will  inculcate  true  principles  of  chastity 

y'  and  virtue,  both  in  her  sons  and  her  daughters,  and  thus 
remove  the  immoral  stain  from  the  world.  Short  of 
that,  there  is  no  permanent  hope  for  the  future. 

Let  us  not  be  afraid,  either,  to  exalt  such  an  ideal  of 
motherhood,  for  the  other  type  of  womanhood  and 
motherhood  has  failed.  It  has  failed  before  our  very 
eyes.  It  is  false  and  pagan  and  without  passion  and 
without  beauty.  It  is  vain  and  selfish  and  light  and  frivo- 
lous. The  mothers  of  the  future  must  be  truly  Christian 
mothers,  living  for  the  beauty  of  holiness  and  the  glory 
of  service,  rather  than  for  the  emptiness  of  society,  the 
vanities  of  dress,  and  the  corroding  indulgences  of  self ! 

THE  FATHER   IN   THE   HOME  OF  THE  FUTURE 

And  with  the  same  frankness  let  us  ask  what  type  of 
fatherhood  does  the  rising  generation  need  to  insure 
its  purity  and  growth  into  righteousness?  Surely  not 
the  type  of  father  who  puts  money  and  business  success 
above  every  other  earthly  consideration,  even  to  the 
neglect  of  his  children. 

While  I  was  living  in  the  State  of  Texas,  there  oc- 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  113 

curred  a  tragedy  that  shocked  the  State.     A  young  man 
of  nineteen  belonging  to  one  of  the  finest  famihes  of 
Dallas  was  shot  down  during  a  drunken  debauch  in  a 
house  of  ill-repute.    His  father  was  one  of  the  best  known 
men  of  the  city  and  had  amassed  a  large  fortune.     He 
stood  in  the  darkened  parlor  where  the  body  of  his  boy 
lay  in  a  coffin.     Only  his  pastor  was  there  with  him,  as 
with  broken-hearted  agony,  he  stretched  up  his  hands 
to  heaven,  and  cried,  "O  God,  if  you  will  only  give  meW 
back  my  boy,  I  will  give  up  all  the  dirty  dollars  thatA^ 
I  have  piled  up  while  I  have  been  neglecting  his  young  1/ 
lifeT^  ^ 

Equal  with  the  responsibility  of  motherhood  is  the 
responsibility  of  Christian  fatherhood  in  trying  to  right 
the  wrong  conditions  of  to-day,  to  rear  a  God-fearing 
generation,  and  to  heal  the  moral  sore  of  our  modern  so- 
ciety. The  mppant  father,  the  slick,  selfish,  over-fed, 
luxury-loving,  church-neglecting,  ease-seeking  biped  of 
to-day,  the  man  who  indulges  in  impure  stories,  who  is 
inclined  to  smile  at  sanctity  and  wink  at  evil,  and  who 
accepts  immorality  as  a  matter  of  course  with  a  shrug 
of  the  shoidders,  is  no  tridy  Christian  father  and  he  can- 
not raise  a  son  or  a  daughter  who  will  truly  respect  hinu 
or  who  will  help  make  this  world  what  it  ought  to  he. 

Sometime  ago  as  I  walked  toward  the  church  for  the 
night  service,  in  another  city,  I  saw  a  crowd  of  young 
boys  gathered  under  the  street  light  at  the  corner.  Some- 
what startled  by  the  profanity  and  lewdness  of  their 
conversation,  I  stopped  in  the  shadows  just  outside  the 
circle  of  light  and  quietly  listened.  The  conversation  of 
those  boys  and  young  men  was  positively  nauseating, 
with  its  profanity  and  its  immoral  filth.  And  as  I  listened 
and  watched  I  saw  the  older  boys  take  up  a  collection 


i 


i 


114     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  send  one  of  the  younger  boys  into  the  drug  store 
/across  the  way  to  buy  cigarettes  for  the  crowd.  This 
/was  upon  Sunday  night,  and  the  buying  and  the  selHng 
of  cigarettes  to  a  minor  and  on  Sunday  night  was  con- 
trary to  the  law.  But  I  saw  that  Httle  lad  in  knee 
breeches  make  the  purchase  and  then  come  out  and  light 
his  cigarette  with  the  other  boys,  as  they  continued  their 
degrading  talk.  I  passed  on  down  the  street,  heavy  at 
heart,  and  on  my  way,  in  going  by  the  home  of  the  boy 
who  had  purchased  the  cigarettes,  I  saw  the  father  of  the 
lad  in  the  front  room  with  his  feet  on  a  chair  and  a  big 
cigar  in  his  mouth,  as  he  read  the  sporting  pages  of  a 
Sunday  newspaper!  His  little  boy  was  going  to  hell  in 
the  streets  of  the  city,  without  any  proper  restraint  or 
direction,  and  he,  the  father,  though  the  church  bells  were 
ringing,  was  sogging  in  laziness  and  self-indulgence,  and 
almost  imbecile  ignorance  of  the  harm  that  was  being 
done  his  offspring!     We  cannot  raise  a  pure  race,  nor 

an  we  create  a  righteous  society  with  such  fathers  as 

hat! 

OUR  country's  strength 

The  time  has  passed  for  mincing  words  about  these 
matters,  and  in  the  face  of  the  terrible  conditions  in  the 
world,  we  need  to  face  the  facts  and  humbly  before  God 
strive  for  a  better  ideal  of  life  and  for  truer  and  nobler 
Qiristian  living.  The  home  life  of  the  people  is  at  last 
the  hope  of  the  Republic.  If  that  fails,  all  has  failed. 
Many  are  deploring  to-day  the  decay  of  the  church  and 
the  growth  of  a  wrong  spirit  of  bitterness  and  strife  in 
the  state;  but  we  need  to  face  the  fact  that  all  of  these 
unfortunate  conditions  have  a  deeper  cause,  and  that  is 
the  decay  of  the  home  life  of  the  people.     Unless  we 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  115 

strengthen  our  homes  and  build  them  up,  and  especially 
unless  we  reestablish  our  family  altars,  and  rear  our 
children  in  the  fear  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  we  must 
suffer  the  consequences. 

Dr.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman  related  how,  a  few  years  ago, 
a  missionary  who  had  been  in  China  for  twenty-five  years 
returned  home  on  his  first  furlough.  He  had  had  such 
a  passion  for  his  work,  and  such  a  desire  to  serve  his 
Master,  that  he  had  been  unwilling  to  leave  his  field  of 
labor  even  for  a  needed  rest.  When  he  reached  the 
shores  of  the  home  land  the  editor  of  a  great  newspaper 
sent  a  representative  to  call  upon  him,  and  told  him  that 
they  wished  him  to  travel  up  and  down  the  Pacific  Coast 
for  thirty  days,  and  then  to  submit  to  an  interview.  He 
was  also  told  that  he  would  be  asked  to  tell  the  readers 
of  this  newspaper  what  impressed  him  most  in  America 
after  his  absence  of  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Inasmuch 
as  he  was  traveling  as  a  guest  of  the  paper,  he  made  very 
careful  note  of  the  conditions  with  which  he  was  con- 
fronted, and  in  the  interview  he  gave  most  striking  an- 
swers to  the  general  question.  The  editor  of  the  paper 
said  he  imagined  this  aged  man  would  be  impressed  with 
the  advance  along  scientific  lines,  the  almost  universal 
use  of  the  telephone,  binding  the  cities  together,  or  with 
the  fact  that  in  his  absence  men  had  discovered  the  wave 
currents  of  the  air  and  were  sending  their  messages  with- 
out the  means  of  cables  to  London  and  back  in  twenty 
minutes,  but  these  things  were  not  mentioned.  The  mis- 
sionary said,  however,  "When  I  left  America  twenty- 
five  years  ago  the  majority  of  Christian  homes  had  in 
them  family  altars,  and  now  that  I  have  returned  after 
so  long  an  absence,  I  find  that  it  is  the  rare  exception 
to  find  a  family  altar  in  a  so-called  Christian  home.'*    And 


ii6     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

then,  speaking  like  a  prophet,  he  said :  "When  the  family 
altar  breaks  down  the  home  is  in  danger,  and  with  the 
home  endangered,  there  is  serious  trouble  ahead  for  the 
country." 

Well  did  Dr.  Chapman  say: 

''The  influence  of  family  worship  is  as  lasting  as  Eter- 
nity. Many  a  boy  who  appears  restless  at  the  family 
altar  has  the  impression  made  upon  him  which  comes 
back  to  him  with  tremendous  force  afterwards,  when  he 
is  out  in  the  world  and  is  battling  with  sin.  Many  a  girl 
is  kept  from  doing  that  which  is  inconsistent  because  of 
her  recollection  of  the  trembling  tones  used  in  her  father's 
prayer,  and  the  sound  of  her  mother's  voice  in  song.  iSo 
many  times  we  find  ourselves  drifting,  and  suddenly  we 
stop  as  if  a  hand  had  reached  out  to  lay  hold  upon  us.  It 
was  impossible  to  drift  further,  and  all  because  the  hand 
was  a  memory,  and  the  memory  brought  before  us  the 
time  of  family  worship  when  our  fathers  were  praying, 
and  the  very  atmosphere  of  Heaven  was  round  about  us." 

I  can  never  forget  the  impression  made  upon  me  when 
I  first  visited  the  National  Capital.  My  heart  thrilled 
as  I  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  majestic  Capitol  Build- 
ing, and  saw  the  golden  dome  of  the  Congressional  Li- 
brary. As  I  went  along  the  exquisite  boulevards  and 
looked  upon  the  Treasury,  the  dignified  and  beautiful 
White  House,  the  home  of  the  President,  and  the  other 
buildings  of  state,  I  thought  of  the  greatness  of  our  coun- 
try. I  thought  of  the  Congress,  the  Senate  and  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  of  the  mighty  Army  and  Navy  behind 
it  all;  and  I  said,  ''Here  is  the  strength  and  power  of  our 
great  Republic." 

But  a  few  days  later  I  went  down  into  old  Virginia 
and  visited  a  country  home.     I  saw  there,  a  self-reliant 


RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  HOME  LIFE  117 

and  successful  farmer — independent,  sturdy  and  true. 
I  saw  him  going  with  joy  and  skill  about  the  duties  of 
his  daily  task.  I  saw  his  noble  wife,  busy  with  her  house- 
hold work,  singing  through  the  long  day,  and  brooding 
over  her  children  with  a  true  mother's  love.  I  saw  the 
shadows  of  night  gather  around  that  home,  and  darkness 
fall  with  its  holy  peace.  I  saw  that  mother  and  father 
gather  the  children  about  the  open  fireplace,  and  then  I 
saw  the  father — the  high  priest  in  the  home ! — take  down 
the  old  family  Bible,  reverently  read  from  the  Word 
of  God,  and  lift  up  his  voice  in  prayer  for  the  Divine 
blessing  upon  them  all.  And  as  I  looked  upon  that  scene 
of  parental  responsibility  and  domestic  strength,  I  said, 
"No,  I  was  mistaken  on  my  visit  to  Washington !"  For- 
gotten was  the  vision  of  the  marble  Capitol  and  the 
greatness  of  the  Army  and  Navy;  and  I  said,  ''Here,  here 
in  the  homes  of  the  people  are  the  hope  and  strength  of 
the  Republic!" 

And  even  here  in  New  York,  while  we  cannot  have 
such  conditions  as  those  that  surround  country  homes, 
we  can,  nevertheless,  have  true  homes  with  family  al- 
tars .  .  .  where  love  reigns,  and  respect  and  reverence 
for  parents  bring  down  the  blessings  of  God.  A  house 
is  not  a  home.  Home  is  a  spiritual  fact ;  home  is  an  at- 
mosphere. One  poor  room — the  humblest  tenement  in 
this  city — may  be  a  true  home  if  only  the  right  spirit  is 
there.  And  any  man  and  woman  who  builds  such  a 
home  will  not  only  receive  the  blessings  of  Almighty 
God,  but  they  will  have  the  consolation  also  of  knowing 
that  they  are  serving  their  country  in  higH  and  holy  ways 
and  doing  the  noblest  work  this  world  will  know  until  it 
is  transformed  into  the  Paradise  of  God  I 


ii8     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

"Nor  need  we  power  or  splendor, 
Wide  hall  or  lordly  dome; 
The  good,  the  true,  the  tender, 
These  form  the  wealth  of  home." 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE   GREAT  AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE 

Gambling  is  one  of  the  oldest  vices  of  the  human 
race.  In  the  pictures  of  dice-throwing  among  the  an- 
cient Egyptians  and  the  records  of  casting  lots  among 
the  early  Chaldeans  we  find  the  evidences  of  this  sin 
there  at  the  very  dawn  of  history.  Tacitus  tells  us  that 
not  only  among  the  early  Romans,  but  among  the  primi- 
tive peoples  whom  they  conquered,  this  vice  flourished, 
and  human  sin  is  seen  at  its  blackest  when  we  behold 
men  gambling  for  the  garments  of  the  Son  of  God,  even 
at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 

The  story  of  Samson  is  a  pathetic  and  striking  illus- 
tration of  a  strong  and  noble  man  who  came  to  his  fall 
through  gambling.  His  wager  over  his  riddle  of  the 
honey  in  the  carcass  of  the  lion  he  had  killed,  his  dis- 
honesty in  robbing  others  to  get  means  for  paying  his 
gambling  debts,  the  infamy  of  his  own  life  in  betraying 
him  in  connection  with  his  bet,  are  all  characteristic  of 
gambling  and  gamblers  in  every  age. 

THE   EVILS   OF    GAMBLING 

Gambling  is  a  practice  evil  in  itself,  because  it  is  bom 
of  avarice — the  desire  to  get  something  for  nothing,  and 
that,  too,  at  another's  expense.  It  is  the  staking  or 
winning  of  property  upon  mere  hazard,  and  it  is  the  vice 

119 


120     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

detestable,  because  selfishness  is  its  sire,  and  avarice  its 
dam.  It  has  not  one  single  redeeming  trait  in  it;  it  has 
not  one  generous  impulse  behind  it,  not  one  beneficent 
result  from  it.  It  honeycombs  the  soul  with  the  basest 
of  passions.  It  is  a  vice  whose  root  is  greed,  whose  trunk 
is  cruelty,  and  whose  fruit  is  ruin  to  mind  and  soul. 

Gambling  is  an  evil  because  it  undermines  self-reliance 
by  leading  its  devotees  to  depend  for  success  upon  luck 
and  fortune  instead  of  upon  courage  and  self-reliant  ef- 
fort. This  means  defeat  and  despair  at  last,  because  for- 
tune is  fickle  and  luck  will  turn.  The  wisdom  of  all  ages 
has  so  taught.  Confucius  says:  'The  wheel  of  fortune 
turns  incessantly  around;  and  who  can  say  within  him- 
self, 'I  shall  to-day  be  uppermost'?"  Seneca  declares: 
''Whatever  fortune  has  raised  to  a  height  she  has  raised 
only  that  it  may  fall."    Horace  says : 

"Curst  is  the  wretch  enslaved  to  such  a  vice, 
Who  ventures  life  and  soul  upon  the  dice." 

Pope  phrases  it: 

"Who  thinks  that  fortune  cannot  change  her  mind, 
Prepares  a  dreadful  jest  for  all  mankind." 

When  luck  has  thus  turned  on  one  who  gambles,  it 
leaves  him  utterly  without  resource,  for,  having  habitu- 
ated himself  to  depending  upon  luck  and  chance,  when 
that  fails  him  he  has  not  the  strength  of  character  t6 
win  out  success  by  his  own  efforts,  and  so  goes  down 
to  failure  and  despair.  An  editorial  in  "The  Saturday 
Evening  Post"  sometime  ago  said : 

"To  have  his  swing  in  Wall  Street  is  the  consuming 
desire  of  every  man  with  the  money  craze  in  his  blood 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE       121 

and  brain,  yet  most  of  the  'ex-kings  of  Wall  Street'  died 
poor  unless  they  had  other  sources  of  income;  their  liv- 
ing successors  dare  not  try  to  retire  by  converting  their 
holdings  into  cash.  Outside  of  Wall  Street  the  final  ex- 
periences of  thousands  of  envied  men  have  been  similarly 
bad.  An  ex-millionaire,  once  supposed  to  be  the  shrewd- 
est of  the  shrewd,  is  keeping  a  cheap  restaurant  in  Bos- 
ton; another  is  an  object  of  charity  in  Chicago,  and  many 
monetary  meteors,  to  whose  names  'Lucky'  was  prefixed 
a  few  years  ago,  would  exchange  all  their  luck  that  re- 
mains for  a  permanent  assurance  against  the  wolf  at  the 
door." 

John  E.  Madden,  who  has  made  a  million  dollars  out 
of  horseracing,  says  that  defeat  and  nothing  but  defeat 
awaits  the  bettor  on  cards  or  horses ;  and  of  all  the  fools, 
he  says,  the  biggest  is  the  man  who  bets  on  "a  sure 
thing."  Madden  has  followed  the  business  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  and  says :  '*!  quit  betting  years  ago,  and  if 
I  ever  bet  again,  it  will  be  because  the  disease  has  gotten 
the  better  of  my  business  judgment." 

Gambling  is  an  evil  because  it  leads  to  many  other 
forms  of  vice.  Its  feverish  excitement  diseases  the  mind, 
corrupts  the  imagination,  weakens  the  will,  prostitutes 
the  affections,  and  thus  utterly  unfits  one  for  the  serious 
and  noble  duties  of  life.  It  breaks  up  the  home-life  by 
undermining  habits  of  domestic  constancy  and  affection. 
Its  excitement  of  the  senses  develops  the  desire  for  in- 
toxicating liquors,  because  when  the  super-excitements 
at  intervals  subside  their  victim  cannot  bear  the  gloom 
of  the  reaction,  and  by  drugs  or  liquor  winds  up  his 
system  to  the  glowing  point  again.  When  the  double 
fires  of  dice  and  brandy  blaze  beneath  a  man  he  will 
soon  be  consumed.  If  gamblers  are  found  who  do  not 
drink  they  are  more  noticeable  because  exceptions.    It  is 


122     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

for  these  reasons  that  the  gambling  den,   the  brothel 
and  the  saloon  are  always  connected. 

That  these  unfortunate  tendencies  actually  fructify  in 
evil  deeds  is  amply  proved  by  facts.  The  shocking  dis- 
closures here  in  New  York,  in  connection  with  the 
Becker  murder  case,  prove  them  all.  The  late  Anthony 
Comstock,  when  he  was  president  of  the  Society  for  the 
Suppression  of  Vice  in  New  York,  made  this  statement : 

"In  one  year  we  kept  in  the  office  of  the  society  a 
scrapbook,  into  which  we  entered  the  names  of  those  who 
had  become  either  thieves,  defaulters,  embezzlers,  forgers 
or  suicides.  It  shows  that  128  persons  were  either  shot 
or  stabbed  over  gaming  tables;  six  attempted  suicide; 
twenty-four  committed  suicide;  sixty  persons  were  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood,  while  two  were  driven  insane.  Ninety- 
eight  youths  were  ruined  by  gambling  and  betting  upon 
horseracing.  Among  the  crimes  committed  to  get  money 
to  deposit  in  these  plague  sports  were  two  burglaries, 
eighteen  forgeries,  eighty-five  embezzlements,  while 
thirty-two  persons,  holding  positions  of  trust  in  banks 
and  other  places  of  mercantile  life,  absconded.  These 
embezzlements,  defalcations  and  robberies  amounted  to 
nearly  three  million  dollars.  This  is  the  record  of  gam- 
bling for  one  year." 

SOCIETY  GAMBLING 

When  we  speak  of  gambling  to-day,  we  do  not  mean 
merely  the  professional  gamester,  who  makes  his  living 
by  fastening  himself  like  a  parasite  on  the  body  of  so- 
ciety. Some  of  the  worst  gambling  in  our  country  to- 
day is  done  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  elegant  homes.  The 
creation  of  a  strong  public  sentiment  is  urgently  needed 
at  this  point,  for  the  mere  gilding  of  such  a  vice  does 
not  change  its  pernicious  nature.     The  society  woman 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE       123 

who  plays  the  game  of  chance  for  a  cut-glass  punch 
bowl  is  just  as  much  and  as  truly  a  gambler  as  is  the 
negro  who  shoots  his  craps  in  the  back  alley,  because  the 
motive  inspiring  each  of  them  is  identical — the  desire  to 
get  something  for  nothing  in  a  game  of  chance. 

A  woman  came  home  and  showed  her  husb'and  a  beau- 
tiful vase.  '*Just  look  what  I  won  at  the,  card  party! 
Isn't  it  lovely?"  she  exclaimed.  Whereupon  the  husband 
with  a  grin  took  a  large  roll  of  bills  from  his  pocket  and 
said:  ''J^st  look  what  I  won  on  the  races!"  The  wife 
staggered  against  a  chair  to  support  herself  as  she  ex- 
claimed:  "Oh!  husband,  do  you  gamble?" 

Rev.  Dr.  Wm.  R.  Huntington,  of  Grace  Church,  New 
York,  when  preaching  the  annual  sermon  to  the  New 
England  Society  some  years  ago,  discussed  the  obliga- 
tions which  the  early  Puritans  had  left  to  their  descend- 
ants. The  speaker  touched  especially  upon  the  question 
of  games  of  chance,  saying: 

"Is  it  possible  that  leaders  of  society  lend  themselves 
to  the  encouraging  of  amusements  forbidden  by  the  very 
law  of  the  land?  Is  it  true,  that  hostesses  of  our  higher 
circles  let  youths  depart  in  poverty  from  drawing-rooms 
to  which  the  hostesses  themselves  have  invited  them?  Is 
it  true  that  young  women  exhibit  with  pride  jewels 
bought  out  of  the  profits  of  the  gaming  table?  What 
use  is  the  raiding  of  poolrooms  and  the  like,  if  such  things 
as  these  go  on  behind  closed  doors  which  detectives  dare 
not  enter?  I  have  drawn  illustrations  from  the  lives  of 
women.  Why?  Because  men  are  largely  what  women 
make  them." 

Playing  among  women  has  gone  on  and  on  from  the 
putting  up  of  simple  "prizes"  a  few  years  ago  in  "card 


124     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

parties,"  to  out  and  out  gambling  for  money,  as  every 
one  conversant  with  our  modern  life  well  knows. 


STOCK   MARKET   GAMBLING 

Again,  there  are  numbers  of  men  in  our  modern  busi- 
ness life  who  would  resent  it  if  they  were  called  gamblers, 
yet  they  are  responsible  also,  in  part,  for  the  prevalence 
of  this  vice  to-day.  Plain  statements  are  needed  about 
these  things,  for  multitudes  of  young  men  are  rushing  on 
to  their  ruin  and  encouraged  by  the  example  of  those 
sometimes  high  in  the  business  circles  around  them.  The 
man  who  thus  plays  the  stock  market  or  who  puts  up 
money  on  the  contingency  of  the  rise  or  fall  of  the  prices 
of  commodities,  like  cotton,  wheat,  etc.,  is  a  gambler, 
even  more  destructive  in  influence  than  the  blackleg  who 
bets  upon  the  horses  or  who  plays  in  a  professional  poker 
game.  These  higher  types  of  the  vice  are  even  more 
destructive  than  the  grosser  types,  because  they  robe  the 
hideous  form  of  chance  in  the  garment  of  respectability 
and  by  their  example  and  influence  breed  a  contagion  for 
gambling  on  the  smaller  scale. 

Because  of  these  things,  we  have  seen  gambling  in- 
crease in  our  country  in  recent  years  until  there  is  at  the 
present  time  a  perfect  epidemic  of  the  vice.  It  extends 
all  the  way  from  the  small  boy  flipping  his  pennies  for 
"keeps,"  up  through  the  playing  of  the  races,  and  the 
society  gambling,  already  discussed,  to  the  gigantic  opera- 
tions in  the  field  of  ''high  finance,"  where  the  stock 
market  is  exploited  for  unearned  gain,  and  great  railway 
systems  are  looted  by  millionaire  adventurers. 

It  was  highly  significant  that  when  the  policemen  went 
on  strike  in  Boston  and  the  bonds  of  restraint  were  thus 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE       125 

loosened,  immediately  the  streets  were  filled  with  men 
gambling.  William  T.  Jerome,  when  District  Attorney 
of  New  York  County,  made  a  vigorous  arraignment  of 
these  evils,  in  which  he  said : 

"When  I  went  into  the  gambling  houses  in  this  city 
and  found  there  a  principal  of  a  great  pubhc  school  play- 
ing faro;  when  I  found  the  I.O.U.'s  of  officers  of  the 
United  States  army  for  sums  they  could  not  afford  to 
lose  and  support  their  f amihes ;  when  it  came  to  my  ears 
that  embezzlements  and  crimes  of  the  character  of  lar- 
ceny were  committed  as  a  result  of  losses  in  gambling,  I 
became  convinced  that  the  gambling  house,  or  open  gam- 
bHng,  was  a  very  serious  evil." 

Of  all  the  forms  which  the  vice  of  gambling  takes, 
perhaps  that  at  the  race  course  is  the  most  vicious  and 
disreputable.  It  gathers  everywhere  a  class  of  men  and 
women  more  degraded,  if  possible,  and  more  dangerous 
to  the  entire  community  even  than  those  who  assemble 
before  the  prize  ring.  It  is  defended  by  some,  on  the 
ground  that  it  encourages  the  development  of  good 
horses,  but  for  every  horse  which  the  race  track  develops 
it  destroys  the  moral  characters  of  a  thousand  men  and 
women. 

WAR    STAMP    GAMBLING 

One  of  the  most  insidious  and  dangerous  forms  which 
this  gambling  craze  in  our  country  has  ever  taken  is  the 
prostitution  of  patriotism  before  the  altars  of  chance  in 
connection  with  war  charities  and  the  marketing  of  war 
savings  stamps. 

The  "block  parties'*  which  were  held  not  only  in  New 
York  but  throughout  the  country,  to  raise  funds  for  war 
charities,  frequently  featured  lottery  schemes  that  were 


126     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

nothing  else  than  camouflaged  gambling  devices,  and  the 
fact  that  children  participated  largely  in  these  events 
made  them  all  the  more  dangerous. 

And  what  shall  we  say  about  the  War  Savings  Stamp 
gambling?  It  is  a  thing  almost  incredible,  yet  it  is  true, 
that  on  City  Hall  Square,  in  front  of  the  Public  Library 
on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  at  other  points  in  our  city,  regular 
roulette  wheels  were  set  up  in  New  York  City  during 
the  War  Savings  Stamp  drive,  and  those  who  had  them 
in  charge  openly  and  brazenly  violated  the  laws  of  the 
State  and  Nation  by  selling  lottery  tickets  in  connection 
with  the  war  stamps,  so  that  the  one  who  held  the  lucky 
number,  when  the  wheel  was  turned,  would  receive  sums 
many  times  larger  than  the  stake  of  twenty-five  cents, 
fifty  cents  or  one  dollar  put  up  for  the  tickets. 

I  have  a  picture,  taken  from  one  of  our  newspapers,  of 
the  wheel  which  was  erected  at  Forty-second  Street  and 
Fifth  Avenue.  It  shows  a  large  wheel  with  a  young  man 
standing  beside  it,  exhorting  the  crowd  to  take  chances, 
and  another  young  man  with  him  to  assist  in  the  opera- 
tion. 

It  was  announced  that  "For  fifty  cents  a  chance  a 
player  can  win  $30  in  war  stamps  if  he  holds  the  lucky 
number."  The  game  attracted  great  crowds,  and  stamp 
salesmen,  serving  as  volunteer  "barkers,"  kept  the  crowd 
in  good  humor  and  appealed  for  players.  People  of  all 
ages  and  both  sexes  were  swept  away  by  this  gambling 
craze,  and  the  harm  done,  particularly  to  boys  and  girls, 
can  never  be  estimated,  for  when  once  the  gambling  fever 
gets  into  the  blood  it  is  hard  ever  to  get  it  out  again. 

Not  only  in  New  York,  but  in  many  other  cities  and 
towns  of  our  State,  and  in  other  States,  these  nefarious 
practices  have  been  resorted  to.     In  some  cities,  in  ad- 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE       127 

dition  to  the  regular  prize,  special  prizes  were  offered  by 
outsiders  to  the  holders  of  the  lucky  number.  In  one 
city  there  was  one  of  these  special  prizes  of  $1,000  of- 
fered, and  the  result  was  that  the  whole  community  went 
wild  on  the  gambling  craze.  While  the  tickets  were  be- 
ing sold,  we  are  told  that  girls  and  boys  went  up  and 
down  the  streets  with  the  tickets  exclaiming,  ''Take  a 
chance!  take  a  chance!"  Not  *'Buy  a  stamp"  but  "Take 
a  chance."  It  was  an  out  and  out  appeal  to  the  gambling 
spirit  instead  of  the  patriotic  spirit.  These  things  are 
an  outrage  upon  public  decency  and  American  patriotism. 
I  cite  these  instances  as  illustrations  of  the  extremes  to 
which  these  modern  tendencies  are  often  allowed  to  go. 
The  righteous  elements  of  every  community  ought  to  be 
on  their  guard  against  such  things. 

The  laws  of  both  our  State  and  Nation  are  explicit 
and  strong  in  prohibiting  all  lotteries  and  all  gambling 
schemes.  Every  State  in  the  Union  prohibits  gambling 
and  lotteries.  Sections  1370,  1371,  and  1373  of  our 
own  State  Penal  Law  defines  and  condemns  lotteries 
thus : 

"A  'lottery'  is  a  scheme  for  the  distribution  of  prop- 
erty by  chance,  among  persons  who  have  paid  or  agreed 
to  pay  a  valuable  consideration  for  the  chance,  whether 
called  a  lottery,  raffle,  or  gift  enterprise  or  by  some  other 
name.    A  lottery  is  unlawful  and  a  public  nuisance. 

"A  person  who  sells,  gives,  or  in  any  way  whatever 
furnishes  or  transfers,  to  or  for  another,  a  ticket,  chance, 
share,  or  interest,  in  or  dependent  upon  the  event  of  a 
lottery,  to  be  drawn  within  or  without  the  State,  is  guilty 
of  a  misdemeanor." 

Section  1372  of  our  State  Penal  Law  makes  it  a 
felony  to  get  up  or  assist  in  a  lottery. 


128     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

"A  person  who  contrives,  purposes  or  draws  a  lottery, 
or  assists  in  contriving,  purposing,  or  drawing  the  same, 
is  punishable  by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than  two 
years,  or  by  fine  of  not  more  than  one  thousand  dollars, 
or  both." 

These  sections  of  our  Penal  Law  show  that  every  per- 
son who  thus  sold  or  offered  for  sale  a  dollar's  worth  of 
Thrift  Stamps,  with  prizes  attached  for  those  drawing 
lucky  numbers,  and  every  person  who  bought  the  stamps 
with  the  intention  of  taking  a  chance  to  win  a  prize,  have 
made  themselves  guilty  of  engaging  in  a  lottery  and  are 
guilt}^  of  a  misdemeanor  and  can  be  punished  by  a 
maximum  penalty  of  $500  fine  or  six  months  in  jail  or 
both.  Moreover,  the  persons  who  offer  these  prizes,  or 
draw  or  assist  in  the  drawing  of  these  prizes,  are  guilty 
of  a  felony,  which'  is  a  State's  prison  offense. 

GAMBLING   BY    CHURCH    PEOPLE 

It  does  not  legalize  a  lottery,  therefore,  to  have  it 
conducted  by  a  church  to  raise  money  for  religious  pur- 
poses. It  only  shows  the  church  to  be  without  spiritual 
vision,  disloyal  and  criminal. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  quoting  the  following  passage 
from  a  letter  written  me  by  a  brother  pastor  of  another 
denomination.    He  says : 

**It  is  a  shame  that  people  who  are  engaged  in  good 
works  should  resort  to  illegal  means.  Local  chapters 
and  auxiliaries  of  the  Red  Cross  frequently  offend  in  this 
respect.  The  local  auxiliary  here  recently  advertised  a 
card  party  with  prizes  to  raise  money.  As  such  a  thing 
is  against  the  law  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  as  1 
have  taught  my  church  people  that  such  things  are  wrong, 
and  as  some  of  my  people  were  officers  in  the  auxiliary 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE        129 

and  were  taking  part,  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  have 
some  one  else  besides  myself  inform  them  of  the  illegality 
of  their  proposed  card  party,  inasmuch  as  they  paid  no 
attention  to  what  I  had  told  them.  1  wrote  and  asked  the 
New  York  Civic  League  if  the  proposed  card  party  was 
against  the  law,  and  the  League  informed  the  Red  Cross 
officers  that  it  was.  Unfortunately,  the  letter  from  the 
Civic  League  w^as  not  received  by  the  ladies  in  charge 
of  the  affair  until  the  very  day  of  the  party.  After  the 
players  had  arrived,  they  were  informed  that  the  prizes 
could  not  be  given,  and  they  were  auctioned  off.  There 
was  great  indignation,  and  when  it  became  known  that 
I  was  the  one  who  had  written  to  the  Civic  League,  a 
number,  even  of  my  own  people,  turned  against  me,  and 
a  decidedly  unpleasant  situation  was  created.  The  Red 
Cross  here  still  holds  card  parties  to  raise  funds,  and  has 
a  Thrift  Stamp  on  each  table  as  a  souvenir  for  the  win- 
ner at  that  table.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  practice  is 
just  as  objectionable  as  the  other.  The  element  of  gam- 
bling is  still  there." 

How  shocking  all  of  this  is,  when  we  remember  that 
these  were  all  church  people!  And  what  a  commentary 
on  the  moral  and  spiritual  decline  of  the  churches  that 
these  women  should  feel  "indignant"  at  a  pastor  because 
he  had  done  his  simple  duty,  as  the  spiritual  shepherd 
of  a  flock!  Is  the're  any  way  to  awaken  such  church 
people  and  to  convince  them  that  such  practices  are  not 
only  completely  unchristian  and  a  shameful  surrender 
to  worldliness,  but  that  they  are  also  plain  violations  of 
the  fundamental  law  of  the  land  ?  Lotteries  and  gam- 
bling are  not  only  prohibited  by  our  State  Penal  Law, 
but  are  also  prohibited  even  by  the  State  Constitution, 
as  Article  I,  Section  9,  says : 

"Nor  shall  any  lottery  or  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets, 
pool  selling,  bookmaking,  or  any  other  kind  of  gambling 


I30     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

hereafter  be  authorized  or  allowed  within  this  State;  and 
the  Legislature  shall  pass  appropriate  laws  to  prevent 
offenses  against  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section." 

It  is  not  a  question  of  the  motives  of  those  who  en- 
gage in  these  practices,  either  of  those  who  sell  or  those 
who  buy.  Some  say  that  the  "end  justifies  the  means," 
but  the  Bible  says  the  exact  opposite.  It  says,  ''Shall  we 
do  evil  that  good  may  come?"  And  the  laws  of  our 
State  and  Country  say  that  gambling  shall  not  be  engaged 
in  under  any  circumstances  whatsoever. 

Germany  is  the  greatest  gambler  in  the  world's  history. 
She  threw  her  men  by  the  millions  upon  the  wheel  of 
chance  and  ground  them  to  death  in  order  that  she 
might  win  the  glittering  prize  of  a  selfish  and  vain  world 
supremacy  for  her  little  ring  of  Junkers,  lying  diplomats, 
false  prophets,  military  swellheads,  and  Krupp  profiteers. 
As  our  noble  boys  come  marching  home  with  victory 
perched  upon  their  banners,  we  want  them  to  come  to  a 
Nation  worthy  of  their  heroism  and  their  self-reliant 
manhood,  and  not  to  a  society  debauched  by  vice  and 
sin. 

The  things  that  will  correct  the  gambling  fever,  now 
cursing  not  only  New  York  but  our  entire  country,  are 
simple  at  last.  First,  we  need  more  fear  of  God,  less 
greed  for  gain  and  less  love  for  gold.  Secondly,  we  need 
the  creation  of  a  stronger  public  sentiment  and  a  faith- 
ful enforcement  of  our  present  laws.  Thirdly,  we  need 
a  revival  of  home  authority  in  the  rearing  of  youth. 
Fourthly,  we  need  to  honor  the  steady,  self-reliant, 
plodding  worker  above  the  more  spectacular  type  of  man 
who  endeavors  to  reach  his  goal  by  the  "short-cut"  route 
of  questionable  methods. 


AMERICAN  GAMBLING  CRAZE       131 

A   PARABLE   OF   SUCCESS 

Several  years  ago,  in  visiting  Yosemite  Valley  in 
California,  I  undertook  to  climb  the  highest  mountain 
point  overlooking  that  marvelously  beautiful  valley  and 
its  surrounding  country.  On  the  journey  upward,  as  we 
zig-zagged  painfully  and  slowly  along  the  face  of  the 
precipice,  we  came  to  a  pile  of  stone  that  is  called 
"Agassiz  Point,"  and  here  we  were  told  by  our  guide 
that  the  summer  before  a  young  college  man  from  the 
University  of  California  had  endeavored  to  take  a  short 
cut  from  that  point  to  the  heights  above,  rather  than 
to  follow  the  long  and  laborious  trail  around  the 
precipice.  But  as  he  journeyed  onward,  the  friends,  who 
were  with  him,  and  who  were  watching  his  efforts,  were 
suddenly  horrified  to  see  him  lose  his  footing,  and  to  see 
his  body  plunge  downward  2,000  feet,  bounding  from 
rock  to  rock  and  from  point  to  point,  until  it  lay  a  life- 
less mass  of  bleeding  flesh  and  broken  bones  on  the  rocks 
below. 

We  were  touched  by  the  story  of  the  young  man's  fall, 
but  after  we  had  toiled  on  laboriously  and  painfully  up- 
ward to  the  mountain  height,  we  were  rewarded  for  all 
the  discomforts  and  sufferings  of  the  way.  There  be- 
fore us  the  magnificent  panorama  of  nature  was  spread 
out  in  well-nigh  matchless  beauty.  The  flat  floor  of  the 
bewitching  valley,  carpeted  with  green  grasses,  dotted 
with  smiling  lakes  and  groups  of  majestic  fir  trees,  and 
intersected  by  the  silver  ribbon  of  its  swiftly  rushing 
river,  delighted  the  eye.  On  one  side  of  the  valley  the 
Yosemite  Falls,  leaping  down  over  2,000  feet,  were 
sparkling  in  the  sunshine.  At  the  head  of  the  valley  an- 
other mighty  waterfall  plunged  over  its  precipice,  and  in 


132     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

its  foamy  whiteness  looked  in  the  distance  like  a  gigantic 
inverted  ostrich  plume  waving  in  the  summer  air;  and 
above  it  all  towered  "El  Capitan"  and  the  ''Half  Dome" ; 
and  beyond  these,  standing  in  glorious  majesty  against 
the  deep  blue  of  the  silent  heavens,  were  the  kingly  forms 
of  the  snow-capped  Sierra  Nevadas. 

We  looked  at  all  that  ravishing  beauty,  and  our  hearts 
were  satisfied.  We  felt  rewarded  for  the  heat  and  the 
toilsome  w^eariness  of  the  upward  way.  It  was  a  parable 
of  the  successful  life,  sweet  in  the  attainment  of  well- 
earned  victories,  and  the  experience  brought  home  to  our 
hearts,  the  tragedy  of  the  thoughtless  youth  who  never 
saw  the  glories  of  those  silent  and  inspiring  heights,  be- 
cause he  tried  to  take  ''the  short  cut"  way ! 


CHAPTER  IX 

GOD  OR  MAMMON?    A  MESSAGE  TO  THE  MIL- 
LIONAIRES OF  NEW  YORK 

We  find  ourselves  witnesses  of  a  very  interesting 
meeting  between  two  striking  young  men  when  the  Rich 
Young  Ruler  came  to  see  Jesus.  One  was  very  rich 
and  powerful,  for  he  was  a  ''ruler"  of  his  people.  He 
was  doubtless  a  popular  young  fellow — handsome  and 
debonair,  as  Hoffman  in  his  great  picture  has  painted 
him.  He  represented  all  the  wealth,  power,  aristocracy 
and  pride  of  the  best  of  the  Hebrews;  and  there  was 
much,  as  we  shall  see,  about  him  that  was  lovable,  as 
well  as  interesting. 

The  other  party  in  this  meeting  was  a  young  country- 
man from  the  hills  of  Nazareth.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  His  hands  were  calloused  by  honest  toil.  Un- 
like the  other  young  man,  no  rich  garments  were  about 
His  shoulders  and  no  royal  jewels  flashed  upon  His 
hands.  He  came  attired  in  the  plain,  substantial  gar- 
ment of  a  working  man,  with  His  feet  encased  in  the 
simple,  strong  sandals  of  His  people.  We  know  that 
He  was  very  poor,  for  He  Himself  said,  "The  birds  of 
the  air  have  nests  and  the  foxes  of  tlie  ground  have 
holes,  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His 
head."  He  did  not  have  any  earthly  home  that  He 
could  call  His  own,  and  yet  strange  to  say,  that  young 
man  was  the  Creator  and  Owner  of  the  universe!    *Tor 

133 


134     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

by  Him  were  all  things  created  that  are  in  the  earth." 
(Cor.  I  :i6.) 

One  of  these  youths,  then,  was  very  rich  and  yet 
pathetically  poor.  The  other  was  pathetically  poor  and 
yet  immeasurably  rich.  Let  us  see  them  with  the  eye  of 
imagination,  as  they  stand  here  face  to  face  and  talk 
heart  to  heart  about  some  of  the  great  eternal  issues  of 
human  life.  And,  particularly,  let  us  study  a  little  closer 
this  first  young  man.  We  will  notice  two  things  about 
him.  First,  his  possessions  and,  secondly,  his  poverty. 
This  is  a  paradox  in  statement,  and  yet  we  shall  see  that 
it  contains  the  truth. 


GREAT   POSSESSIONS 

We  are  told  that  this  young  man  had  "great  posses- 
sions." What  were  these  possessions?  They  were  not 
all  merely  material  things.  First,  I  would  say  that  he 
had  youth,  and  that  is  indeed  a  great  possession.  Youth 
is  a  beautiful  thing.  It  is  the  golden  period  of  man's  life, 
when  the  possibilities  of  his  future  spread  out  like  a 
lovely  land  before  him ;  when  his  cheeks  are  ruddy  with 
health,  and  the  rich  blood  of  high  ambition  and  noble 
purpose  leaps  along  his  veins.  Yes,  youth  is  indeed  a 
great  possession.  Oh,  that  we  all  might  appreciate  it 
and  use  it  aright  and  not  squander  its  splendid  treasures ! 

Then,  again,  this  youth  had  wealth.  The  term  em- 
ployed in  the  Scriptures  is  "great  possessions."  He  was 
the  owner  in  his  own  right  of  flocks  and  herds  and 
houses  and  lands;  and  doubtless  other  forms  of  wealth 
that  had  come  down  to  him  from  a  rich  and  powerful 
family.  So  great  were  his  possessions  that  his  fame  had 
gone    abroad.      Doubtless    as    he    walked    along    the 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  135 

streets  people  would  stop  and  look  back  at  him  and  say, 
"Yes,  that  is  the  rich  young  Mr.  So  and  So,"  and  per- 
haps some  of  the  pretty  girls  in  the  community  were 
setting  their  bonnets  for  him  as  a  good  ''catch." 

Again,  he  had  place  and  power.  He  was  a  *'ruler," 
and  his  position  gave  him  great  prestige  and  social  dis- 
tinction. 

And  this  was  not  all.  He  had  yet  another  great  posses- 
sion, and  that  was  an  earnest  desire  for  eternal  Hfe. 
We  are  told  here  that  he  ''came  running"  to  Jesus  and 
"kneeled  to  Him"  and  said,  "Good  Master,  what  shall 
I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal  life?"  Here  then  is  the 
manifestation  of  a  very  beautiful  spirit  on  the  part  of 
this  interesting  youth.  He  was  not  a  spoiled  and  super- 
cilious snob — ruined  by  the  possession  of  his  money.  He 
was  a  youth  who  intuitively  recognized  the  nobleness  and 
worth  of  this  rugged  prophet  of  Nazareth,  and  without 
either  condescension  or  cant,  he  kneeled  in  the  very  dust 
and  asked  instruction  of  Him.  Some  to-day  are  so 
utterly  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  their  immortal  souls, 
that  they  not  only  will  not  run  to  inquire  concerning 
these  matters,  but  it  requires  almost  a  surgical  opera- 
tion to  induce  them  to  condescend  even  to  come  to 
church ! 

Notice,  again,  that  another  great  possession  which  this 
interesting  youth  had  was  a  pure  life.  He  had  that 
magnificent  jewel  of  true  character,  masculine  purity. 
When  he  asked  Jesus  the  question  concerning  the  way 
of  eternal  life,  the  Master  quoted  to  him  the  moral 
law,  "Do  not  commit  adultery,  do  not  kill,  do  not  steal," 
etc.,  etc. ;  and  the  young  man  answered,  "Master,  all 
these  have  I  observed  from  my  youth.  From  the  time 
when  I  was  a  little  child  about  my  mother's  knee,  I  have 


136     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

followed  her  wise  and  loving  precepts  and  kept  myself 
pure  and  unspotted."  We  know  that  this  was  not  a  vain 
or  idle  boast,  because  Jesus  believed  it.  He  saw  honesty 
and  purity  in  the  young  man's  face  and  He  never  denied 
his  claim  nor  rebuked  him  for  it.  When  the  manhood 
of  to-day  becomes  pure  and  the  double  standard  of 
morals  is  wiped  out,  we  will  have  made  a  vast  advance. 
And  this  young  man  of  the  long  ago  had  this  treasure. 
Notice,  finally,  another  one  of  his  great  possessions 
was  that  he  had  the  personal  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  stated  here  that  ''Jesus,  beholding  him,  loved  him." 
There  are  only  five  people  mentioned  in  the  Bible  of 
whom  it  is  recorded  that  they  had  the  personal  love  of 
Jesus.  These  were  Mary,  Martha,  Lazarus,  John,  and 
this  Rich  Young  Ruler.  And  of  all  that  favored  group, 
this  splendid  youth  was  the  only  one  who  was  lost.  Yes, 
it  is  a  sad  thing,  a  tragic  thing  to  have  to  say,  and  yet 
if  we  are  true  to  the  record,  we  know  that  this  youth, 
with  all  of  his  beauty  and  promise  and  his  great  posses- 
sions, was  a  lost  soul.  We  are  taught  here  that  he  did 
not  accept  the  summons  of  Jesus,  but  that  he  "went 
away  grieved  (or  sorrowful),  for  he  had  great  posses- 


sions.** 


We  do  well  to  inquire,  now,  why  he  was  lost,  and  this 
leads  us  to  an  earnest  consideration  of  his  poverty. 


THE  POVERTY  OF  RICHES 

Yes,  with  all  his  great  possessions,  this  interesting  and 
lovable  youth  was  very  poor.  There  was  one  great, 
glaring  defect  in  him,  and  Jesus  discovered  that.  He 
said  to  him,  "One  thing  thou  lackest."  This  young 
man's  case,  then,  was  not  a  complicated  case,  although 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  137 

it  seems  to  be,  for  we  ourselves  have  also  grown  to  love 
him  as  we  have  studied  his  bright  and  interesting  charac- 
ter. His  was  a  simple  disease,  and  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Master  Surgeon,  discovered  it  immediately  and  put  His 
hand  upon  it. 

I  had  a  friend  who  was  in  ill  health  and  who  started 
on  a  journey  to  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.,  for  rest  and 
recuperation.  He  was  taken  so  ill,  however,  that  at 
Charlotteville,  Va.,  he  had  to  be  removed  from  the  train 
and  carried  to  the  hospital.  A  skillful  surgeon  gave 
him  a  hurried  examination.  He  heard  his  statement 
about  how  he  suffered,  and  when  he  referred  to  a  pain 
in  his  side,  the  doctor  laid  back  the  sheet  and  said,  ''May 
I  just  press  here  to  locate  the  place  of  the  pain?"  And 
he  laid  his  hand  upon  his  body  with  a  firm  strong  pres- 
sure, then,  moving  his  hand  slightly,  he  pressed  again, 
and  my  friend  exclaimed,  "Oh,  don't.  Doctor!"  "Ah," 
said  the  doctor,  "So  it  is  there,  is  it?"  And  they  oper- 
ated upon  him  immediately  for  appendicitis,  and  he  is 
now  well  and  happy. 

Jesus  is  the  greatest  moral  and  spiritual  surgeon  that 
this  world  ever  knew,  and  He  found  the  seat  of  this 
young  man's  trouble  without  delay.  He  applied  one 
test  to  him.  In  reply  to  his  question  as  to  how  he  might 
inherit  eternal  life,  Jesus  said,  "One  thing  thou  lackest: 
go  thy  way,  sell  whatsoever  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the 
poor,  and  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  Heaven :  and  come 
take  up  the  cross,  and  follow  me."  And  the  young  man 
flinched  at  the  test.     We  can  hear  him  exclaim,  "What, 

Master!  you  say  sell  all?    But,  Master,  may  I  not ?" 

''Alir     "Why,  Master,  I  have  not  thought  of  such  a 
thing  as  that.     Whoe\xr  heard  of  such  a  demand?     I 


138     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

cannot!"    And  he  turned  sorrowfully  away,  "for  he  had 
great  possessions." 

THE   MONEY   GOD 

Now,  what  was  the  trouble  with  this  young  man? 
What  was  the  one  supreme  lack  that,  despite  all  his 
promise  and  all  his  possessions,  shut  him  out  from 
eternal  life?  You  have  already  anticipated  the  answer 
to  that  searching  question.  He  did  not  really  know  the 
true  God,  and  he  was  not  willing  to  find  the  way  to 
Him.  The  trouble  with  this  young  man,  and  the  reason 
why  he  was  a  lost  soul,  was  that  he  trusted  money 
instead  of  God! 

Notice  then,  clearly,  the  teaching  that  he  was  not 
lost  simply  because  he  was  rich.  The  disciples  made  the 
mistake  of  thinking  that,  in  the  light  of  Jesus'  first  re- 
mark. When  the  young  man  went  away  sorrowfully, 
we  are  told  here  that  "Jesus  looked  round  about,  and 
saith  unto  His  disciples,  'How  hardly  shall  they  that 
have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God !'  "  And  then 
it  is  stated  that  "The  disciples  were  astonished  at  his 
words" ;  because,  you  see,  they  were  understanding  him 
to  say  that  no  rich  man  could  be  saved.  But  divining 
that  difficulty  in  their  minds,  it  is  stated  here  that 
"Jesus  answered  again,  and  said  unto  them,  'Children, 
how  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God!  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God !'  "  Let  no  poor  man  ever  assert 
that  Jesus  Christ  said  that  no  rich  man  could  be  saved! 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  let  no  rich  man  be  over-much 
proud,  for  surely  the  ground  which  Jesus  gave  the  rich 
to  stand  upon  is  very  slender  ground!     Whether  the 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  139 

figure  of  the  camel  and  the  needle's  eye  relates  to  the 
smaller  gateway  for  the  entrance  of  man  within  the 
larger  gateway  to  the  oriental  city,  or  whether  Jesus 
meant  to  use  a  stronger  figure  still  by  a  reference  to  the 
eye  of  a  literal  sewing  needle  and  the  difficulty  a  camel 
would  have  in  getting  through  it,  it  is  not  necessary  for 
us  to  say.  But  it  is  especially  necessary  that  those  who 
have  great  possessions  should  understand  that  they  also 
carry  with  them  great  difficulties  in  connection  with  the 
spiritual  life,  and  that  unusual  concern  should  be  in  the 
mind  of  every  rich  man  over  his  spiritual  interests.  If 
this  splendid  youth,  with  all  his  morality,  his  clean  life, 
his  popularity,  and  his  possession  of  the  personal  love  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  lost,  then  surely  the  rich  man  to-day 
has  here  a  most  solemn  warning.  If  I  were  a  rich  man, 
I  would  tremble  for  my  soul's  safety.  And  certainly  I 
would  be  most  faithful  to  God  and  the  interests  of  His 
Kingdom.  I  would  be  found  most  diligent  to  ''make 
my  calling  and  election  sure,"  and  to  "work  out  my  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling"  realizing  most  humbly 
the  while,  that  it  *'is  God  that  worketh  in  us,  both  to 
will,  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure!" 

THE    DECEITFULNESS    OF    RICHES 

We  cannot  here  go  into  the  full  teaching  of  Jesus  con- 
cerning what  He  calls  "the  deceitfulness  of  riches" ;  but 
there  is  surely  such  a  thing,  and  it  was  this  that  finally 
destroyed  the  soul  of  this  promising  youth.  He  could 
not  bow  his  will  to  God's  will  and  trust  the  true  and 
living  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  because  he  was  un- 
consciously a  worshiper  at  another  shrine.  Jesus  had 
said,  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon."  (Matt.  6:24.)^ 


I40     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

There  are,  then,  two  gods  to  which  men  give  allegiance ; 
and  I  believe,  in  final  analysis,  there  are  only  two.  Men 
really  worship  either  this  great  god  Mammon,  with  all 
the  worldly  blessings  that  he  promises,  or  with  resolute 
faith  they  turn  their  backs  upon  this  false  god,  with  his 
deceptions,  and  give  the  loyalty  of  their  lives  and  the 
devotion  of  their  hearts  to  the  one  true  and  living  God, 
who  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  who  directs  our  eternal 
destiny!  And  according  as  men  choose  between  these 
two  Gods,  they  are  lost  or  saved. 

The  rich  man,  as  we  learn  from  the  meeting  between 
Jesus  and  Zaccheus,  the  publican,  can  easily  and  quickly 
be  saved,  provided  he  will  obey  Christ  and  walk  in  the 
right  way. 

But  this  Rich  Young  Ruler  was  a  lost  soul,  because 
he  had  been  so  blinded  and  deceived  by  riches  that  he 
put  his  ''trust"  in  riches, — ^that  is,  in  the  great  god 
Mammon.  The  trouble,  therefore,  with  him  was  that 
he  had  in  his  nature  the  seeds  of  a  growing  selfishness, 
which  would  eat  like  a  cancer  in  his  heart,  and  at  last 
completely  alienate  him  from  God,  who  is  Love.  He 
wanted  the  things  that  his  money  would  buy  for  himself 
• — the  place  and  the  power,  the  adulation  of  people,  rich 
clothing,  sumptuous  food,  and  all  of  the  soft  luxury  that 
Mammon  gives  to  its  worshipers.  Because  of  this,  all 
of  his  morality  could  not  save  him,  for  salvation  means 
harmony  and  union  with  God,  and  God  is  not  selfishness 
but  Love.  If,  then,  one's  character  drifts  more  and 
more  into  selfishness,  it  means  a  further  and  further 
alienation  from  God,  until  at  last  there  is  the  eternal 
separation  which  means  a  lost  soul;  and  all  of  this,  in 
the  case  of  this  young  man,  because  of  the  "deceitfulness 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  141 

of  riches"  that  had  led  him  to  worship  Mammon  in- 
stead of  the  true  God. 


FRIENDLY    MESSAGE    TO    NEW    YORK'S    MILLIONAIRES 

What,  then,  is  the  message  from  this  incident  to  the 
man  of  to-day?  In  announcing  this  subject,  I  employed 
the  term  "New  York's  Millionaires,"  but  a  man  does  not 
have  to  be  a  millionaire  in  order  to  be  caught  by  the 
whirlpool  of  destruction  through  money.  Even  a  poor 
man,  in  his  struggles  and  ambitions  to  rise,  may  become 
a  Mammon  worshiper;  and  often,  at  this  period  of  his 
life,  he  is  in  more  deadly  danger  than  the  man  who  has 
already  accumulated  a  fortune.  Any  man  who  puts  his 
trust  in  money  instead  of  God  is  subject  to  the  dangers 
of  money.     What  are  these  dangers? 

Well,  the  first  danger  of  money  is  that  it  often  makes 
a  fool  of  a  man.  In  his  parable  of  the  Rich  Man  and 
His  Barns,  Jesus  pictures  this  type  of  character— who 
makes  money  so  fast  that  his  head  is  turned  and  he 
becomes  a  fool. 

"And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The  ground 
of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully;  And  he 
thought  within  himself,  saying.  What  shall  I  do,  because 
I  have  no  room  where  to  bestow  my  fruits?  And  he 
said.  This  will  I  do ;  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and  build 
greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  fruits  and  my 
goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink, 
and  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him.  Thou  fool,  this 
night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee;  then  whose  shall 
those  things  be,  which  thou  has  provided?  So  is  he 
that  layeth  up  treasure  for  himself,  and  is  not  rich  to- 
ward God."     (Luke  12:16-21.) 


142     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

This  man  was  a  colossal  fool,  just  as  Jesus  said.  He 
was  a  fool  because  he  did  not  wisely  consider  the  brevity 
and  uncertainty  of  life;  because  he  slaved  away  his  days 
piling  up  money  that  others  would  enjoy,  and  because  in 
doing  all  this,  he  lost  his  immortal  soul.  Yes,  Jesus  was 
right.  What  a  fool  he  was !  And  what  a  fool  any  man 
is  who  becomes  a  slave  and  worshiper  of  money! 

Another,  and  all-comprehensive,  danger  from  money 
is  that  of  covetousness,  which  simply  means  the  inordi- 
nate desire  and  lust  after  money.  To  give  it  a  biological 
name,  we  might  say  that  covetousness  is  ''chronic  ac- 
cumulitis,"  and  that  is  one  of  the  most  deadly  dangers 
to  the  spiritual  life,  because  it  paralyzes  the  nobler  and 
more  generous  side  of  our  natures, — that  side  that  leads 
us  to  love  and  to  serve  God.  When  a  man  is  afflicted 
badly  with  "chronic  accumulitis"  he  comes  to  the  point  at 
last  where  he  turns  his  back  on  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  instead  adopts  the  philosophy  of  Benjamin 
Franklin  as  the  guide  of  his  life. 

In  our  money-loving  age,  we  are  prone  to  over- 
emphasize thrift,  shrewdness,  etc.,  as  virtues,  and  they 
may  be  virtues  if  a  man  is  a  steward  and  a  worshiper  of 
the  true  God.  If  a  man  is  making  money  for  God  and 
for  the  advancement  of  His  kingdom,  instead  of  for 
himself  and  his  own  luxurious  living,  then  God  can  bless 
him  and  at  last  save  that  man.  But  when  the  opposite 
motive  prevails,  covetousness  grips  the  soul,  and  it  is 
more  destructive  to  true  moral  character  than  drunken- 
ness, sensuality  and  other  gross  sins.  These  sins  ma^ 
be  largely  connected  with  the  weakness  of  the  flesh- 
but  covetousness  is  a  hideous  monster  that  slays  the 
soul.  I  have  seen  some  drunkards  and  outcasts  who 
really  had  more  true  nobility — more  generosity,  more 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  143 

charity,  more  good  fellowship — than  certain  prim  and 
proper  people  who  were  highly  respectable  and  very  well- 
to-do,  but  whose  souls  were  eaten  out  by  covetousness 
and  the  false  pride  and  vanity  that  the  possession  of 
money  often  brings ! 

Just  listen  to  the  company  that  covetousness  puts  one 
into.  Here  is  what  Paul  says,  for  example :  "For  this  ye 
know  of  a  surety,  that  no  fornicator,  nor  unclean  per- 
son, nor  coveteous  man,  who  is  an  idolater,  hath  any 
inheritance  in  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  and  God."  (Eph. 
5  14. )  In  writing  again  to  the  Colossians,  Paul  says, 
"Put  to  death  therefore  your  members  which  are  upon 
the  earth;  fornication,  uncleanness,  passion,  evil  desires 
and  covetousness,  which  is  idolatry."  (Col.  3  :5.)  And 
again  in  writing  to  the  Romans,  Paul  said,  "Being  filled 
with  all  unrighteousness,  wickedness,  covetousness, 
maliciousness;  whisperers,  backbiters,  hateful  to  God, 
insolent,  haughty,  boastful,  inventors  of  evil  things,  dis- 
obedient to  parents."  These  are  merely  sample  quota- 
tions of  what  the  Bible  has  to  say  from  cover  to  cover 
against  this  great  cardinal  sin,  which  leads  to  Mammon 
worship  and  damns  the  soul.  This  is  the  sin  that  made 
Achan  a  thief ;  that  made  Gehazi  a  leper  white  as  snow ; 
that  made  Ananias  a  liar,  so  that  he  was  struck  dead,  and 
that  made  Judas  a  traitor  to  Christ  and  a  suicide  at  last. 
And  this  is  the  kind  of  sin  that  the  modern  pulpit  is  not 
saying  very  much  about !  Surely  the  rich  men  of  to-day 
do  need  the  solemn,  loving  warning  of  God's  truth,  for 
many  of  them  are  plunging  on  to  death. 

This  is  "the  deceitfulness  of  riches,"  that  it  blinds 
men's  eyes  to  the  deeper  values  of  life,  and  leads  them 
step  by  step  farther  away  from  the  true  God  until,  like 
this  rich  young  ruler,  they  are  unconscious  worshipers 


144     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

of  Mammon.     This  is  the  reason  why  it  is  written  in 
I  Tim.  6:9,  10: 

"But  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a 
snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which 
drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.  For  the  love 
of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  which  while  some  coveted 
after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith,  and  pierced  them- 
selves through  with  many  sorrows." 

And  when  this  has  happened  to  a  man,  he  gets  into 
the  state  described  by  James  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  his 
epistle,  the  first  six  verses: 

"Go  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  your 
miseries  that  shall  come  upon  you.  Your  riches  are  cor- 
rupted, and  your  garments  are  motheaten.  Your  gold 
and  silver  is  cankered;  and  the  rust  of  them  shall  be  a 
witness  against  you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were 
by  fire.  Ye  have  heaped  treasure  together  for  the  last 
days.  Behold,  the  hire  of  the  laborers  who  have  reaped 
down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back  by  fraud, 
crieth :  and  the  cries  of  them  which  have  reaped  are  en- 
tered into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth.  Ye  have  lived 
in  pleasure  on  the  earth,  and  been  wanton ;  ye  have  nour- 
ished your  hearts,  as  in  a  day  of  slaughter.  Ye  have 
condemned  and  killed  the  just;  and  he  doth  not  resist 
you.'* 

Now  the  encouraging  thing  about  it  all  is  that  the  rich 
man  has  it  in  his  power  to  resist  these  subtle  temptations 
that  flow  from  money,  to  devote  himself  to  God  and  to 
the  service  of  his  fellowmen  through  his  money,  and 
thus  to  put  himself  in  the  company  of  those  whom  Paul 
addresses  in  the  same  writing  in  which  he  warned  the 
rich  men,  when  he  says : 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  145 

"Charge  them  that  are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they  be 
not  highminded,  nor  trust  in  uncertain  riches,  but  in  the 
living  God,  who  giveth  us  richly  all  things  to  enjoy;  that 
they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works,  ready  to 
distribute,  willing  to  communicate;  laying  up  in  store 
for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to 
come,  that  they  may  lay  hold  on  eternal  life."  (Tim.  6  :i7, 
18,  19.) 

TRANSFORMATION    INTO    TRUE    CHARACTER 

The  message  of  the  Word  of  God  to  the  milHonaires 
and  moneyed  men  of  New  York  in  this  twentieth  century 
is  the  same  message  that  Christ  and  His  inspired  apostles 
gave  to  the  world  in  the  first  century. 

Addressing,  then,  the  millionaires  and  moneyed  men  of 
our  city,  directly,  frankly,  and  in  the  most  fraternal 
spirit,  I  would  point  out  to  you,  gentlemen,  that  the 
Bible  teaches  most  clearly  and  emphatically  first  of  all 
that  a  man  who  lives  only  for  money  and  makes  money 
his  god  is  a  fool.  Secondly,  that  such  over-devotion  to 
money-making  produces  covetousness,  paralyzes  the 
spiritual  energies  and  even  the  higher  and  nobler  qualities 
of  the  mind.  Thirdly,  that  wrong  methods  for  the  ac- 
cumulation of  wealth  and  the  over-congestion  of  wealth 
leads  to  social  envying  and  strife  and  brings  retribution 
upon  those  who  exploit  wrong  conditions  for  their  own 
gain.  The  Word  of  God  teaches  plainly  on  this  subject 
that  money  may  be  a  blessing  and  may  be  made  a  bless- 
ing to  others,  but  that  its  misuse  and  a  wrong  relation- 
ship to  it  leads  to  the  final  and  eternal  loss  of  the  souh 

You  will  certainly,  therefore,  gentlemen,  be  wise 
enough  to  cease  the  lavish  and  foolish  squandering  of 
money  in  soft  luxuries  and  high  living,  if  these  con- 
siderations really  take  hold  of  your  minds.     The  seduc- 


146     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

tions  of  the  devil  are  just  as  subtle  to-day  and  his  nets 
before  the  feet  of  men  are  just  as  numerous  as  they 
were  in  that  far  away  time  when  Christ  warned  against 
Mammon  worship.  And  never  has  there  been  a  period 
when  men  of  wealth  ought  to  search  their  hearts  more 
closely,  that  they  may  draw  nearer  to  God,  than  in  this 
time  of  great  world  chaos  and  unrest. 

REACHING    THE    BETTER    BUT    MISSING    THE    BEST 

So  we  come  back,  in  the  close  of  our  thought  together, 
to  glance  once  more  at  this  young  man  of  the  long  ago. 
As  we  look  upon  him  and  study  this  incident,  it  seems 
to  us  at  first  blush  that  the  Rich  Young  Ruler  acted 
upon  motives  of  prudence  and  sound  judgment.  For 
the  moment,  it  seems  as  if  Jesus  was  asking  him  to  wreck 
his  whole  earthly  career.  But  Jesus  knew  what  he  really 
needed  for  true  success,  and  I  have  often  thought  if  he 
had  done  what  Zaccheus  did — offered  to  give  up  his 
money  and  thus  prove  to  Jesus  that  he  would  worship 
God  instead  of  riches — that  the  incident  would  have 
taken  a  very  different  turn.  Jesus  saw  for  one  thing, 
doubtless,  that  this  young  man  had  been  merely  a 
dreamer  of  deeds  of  good,  and  that  he  needed  to  step 
out  upon  the  pathway  of  human  brotherhood  and  service 
to  find  his  true  greatness. 

An  American  visitor  in  Paris  some  years  ago,  in  mak- 
ing a  round  of  visits  to  the  studios,  was  carried  by  an 
artist  friend  into  a  dingy  garret,  where  his  friend  told 
him  that  he  would  show  him  *'the  most  glorious  dreamer 
in  France."  The  American  found  the  walls  covered  over 
with  pencil  sketches;  every  inch  of  the  walls  and  the  very 
floor  plastered  over  with  outlines.    Every  morning  found 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  147 

the  artist  at  his  canvas.  In  one  ceaseless  procession  the 
visions  passed  before  him — angels,  seraphs,  sunsets,  trees, 
castles,  scarred  cliffs,  golden  clouds,  palace,  hut,  canoe, 
ocean  steamer,  mound,  volcano,  peasant,  prince,  tropic 
luxuries — ten  thousand  sketches — but  not  one  of  them 
complete !  A  thousand  dreams  and  faces  in  the  air,  but 
no  power  to  pin  them  down  to  a  canvas,  and  fix  them 
there  forever.  Jesus  saw  that  this  young  man  needed  to 
be  a  doer  of  deeds  and  not  merely  a  dreamer  of  dreams. 

Again,  Jesus  doubtless  knew  that  this  young  man's 
strongest  gift  was  with  men  and  not  over  things.  This 
earthly  property  came  to  him  by  inheritance,  and  through 
his  position  in  life,  he  was  bound  to  be  a  popular  leader. 
And  yet  Jesus  discovered  that  he  was  prostituting  his 
talents  and  holding  back  the  possibilities  of  his  higher 
development  by  too  much  immersion  in  mere  money  in- 
terests. A  bird  is  perfectly  content  to  walk  on  its  two 
legs,  and  this  is  all  that  it  can  do,  while  it  is  young  and 
flabby,  but  there  comes  a  time  when  it  will  find  its  wings, 
and  it  can  then  soar  out  in  triumph  to  meet  the  morning 
and  to  greet  the  coming  day  with  song. 

Jesus  looked  upon  this  youth  and  knew  the  man  he 
was,  and  he  sought  to  flash  before  him  the  vision  of  the 
man  he  ought  to  be.  It  was  an  austere  and  searching 
test.  He  said  in  essence  to  him,  ''Turn  from  your  luxury 
loving,  and  your  money  making,  turn  from  your  soft 
living  and  your  self-pleasing  habits.  Take  up  your  cross 
and  follow  me.  To-night  there  will  be  no  downy  couch 
for  you,  and  no  delicate  food.  We  will  tramp  through 
the  long  day  in  works  of  good  to  men,  bringing  them 
the  messages  of  God.  To-night,  you  will  have  the  open 
field  for  your  bed-chamber,  the  dusty  highway  for  your 
anteroom,  the  stars  for  your  tapers,  and  for  your  pillow 


148      THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

a  stone !  Come  with  me !  Share  my  lot  1  I  am  a  man 
of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief.  The  foxes  of  the 
earth  have  holes  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  have  nests,  but 
I  have  not  where  to  lay  my  head.  To-morrow  we  will 
eat  what  is  given  us.  Then  there  will  be  a  snatch  of 
sleep,  another  dry  crust,  perhaps,  a  drink  from  the  brook 
beside  the  way, — and  then  on  in  our  mission  of  mercy 
and  helpfulness.  Come,  and  you  shall  have  the  deeper 
visions,  the  glories  of  right  character,  the  gratitude  of 
men,  the  joys  of  fellowship  with  God,  and  Heaven  at 
last!" 

But  the  young  man  could  not  meet  the  test.  He  turned 
sorrowfully  away  ''for  he  had  great  possessions."  There 
he  settled  his  eternal  destiny.  Jesus  saw  that  the  young 
man  had  already  achieved  the  better  life,  but  he  sought 
to  win  him  to  the  best.  He  failed  in  that  test — tragically 
failed;  for  the  greatest  tragedy  of  life  at  last  is  that 
of  a  splendid  youth  who  is  satisfied  with  the  better  and 
does  not  press  on  with  glorious  purpose  to  attain  the 
best!  This  man  might  have  immortalized  himself.  He 
might  have  written  his  name  on  the  highest  scroll  of 
fame  through  noble  service.  He  might  have  become  a 
second  Paul.  His  life  and  influence  might  have  blessed 
the  children  of  men  forever!  But  he  failed  when  his 
hour  of  destiny  struck,  and  he  sank  down  to  the  tragedy 
of  the  commonplace,  the  vapid  wastes  of  mediocrity  and 
the  increasing  spiritual  paralysis  that  flows  from  selfish 
living.  Yes,  doubtless  from  that  day,  this  young  man 
started  on  the  downward  path,  and  Jesus  foresaw  it. 
With  His  heart  bursting  with  love  and  pity,  He  turned 
to  His  disciples  and  exclaimed,  in  practical  effect :  *'He  is 
a  lost  soul !" 

Dante's    interpretation   is   probably    correct.      In    his 


GOD  OR  MAMMON?  149 

great  classic,  *'The  Inferno/'  in  picturing  their  journey 
through  hell,  Dante  turned  to  Virgil,  who  was  guiding 
him  through  the  regions  of  the  lost,  and  putting  his  hand 
on  the  poet's  arm,  he  whispered :  *'Who  is  yonder  patri- 
cian, gnawed  with  remorse  and  memory?"  And  Virgil 
answered :  "Let  us  flee !  It  is  that  youth  who  made  the 
great  refusal!"  The  sight  of  a  soul  so  noble  in  its  possi- 
bilities, and  yet  that  had  fallen  so  far  from  God,  so 
moved  him  that  he  could  not  stand  that  vision  and  could 
find  relief  from  it  only  in  flight. 

And  all  of  this  story  brings  vividly  and  sharply  before 
our  minds  that  searching  question  which  in  another  place 
Jesus  propounded  to  those  who  would  be  rich,  when  he 
asked :  ''What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world,  but  lose  his  own  soul?" 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  RAGE  FOR  R.\G-TIME  RELIGION 

It  is  here  at  last — "rag-time"  religion! 

Literature  underwent  the  transformation,  and  the 
world  has  been  flooded  with  the  tide  of  trash  that  reaches 
all  the  way  from  the  sentiment  of  Laura  Jean  Libbey  to 
the  corruption  found  in  the  magazines,  the  latest  novel 
and  the  yellow  newspapers  that  litter  the  center  tables 
in  many  homes,  where  good  books  ought  to  be  found. 
Politics  also  fell  into  line,  and  the  noble  and  classical 
statesmanship  of  the  past  was  supplanted  by  the  ward- 
heeler,  the  boss  and  the  demagogue.  Rag-time  music? 
Yes,  oceans  of  it!  ''After  the  Ball,"  ''Johnny,  Get  Your 
Hair  Cut,*'  "Goo-Goo  Eyes,"  and  "Everybody's  Doing 
It,"  until  one  cannot  walk  the  streets  without  having  one's 
ears  offended  with  the  discordant  jangling  of  barbarous 
sounds.  In  art,  too,  the  rage  for  rag-time  is  rampant. 
We  see  it  in  the  horrible  monstrosities  of  the  ten-cent 
theater,  and  right  down  the  line  to  the  "cubist's"  insane 
nightmares ! 

But  the  very  latest  is  rag-time  religion! 

Let  us  turn  to  Christ's  letter  to  the  Laodicean  church, 
as  applicable  no  less  to  the  Laodiceans  than  to  the  church 
to-day.  It  is  a  scorching,  terrible  indictment  that  Christ, 
the  great  Judge  of  the  church,  brings  against  that  institu- 
tion, though  in  spite  of  all  its  limitations  and  imperfec- 
tions the  church  has  been  the  most  glorious  institution 

150 


RAG-TIME  RELIGION  151 

our  earth  has  known.  It  has  had  its  periods  of  victory 
and  true  progress  and  its  periods  of  backsHding  and 
terrible  dechne.  Even  in  the  picture  that  is  drawn  here 
of  the  conditions  in  the  last  time  there  is  a  note  of  en- 
couragement to  those  who  are  faithful,  stimulating  them 
to  make  greater  efforts  in  the  service  of  Christ  and  his 
truth,  until  he  shall  come  again. 

THE  FAULTS  OF  THE  CHURCH  AS  CHRIST  PICTURES  THEM 

Here  is  Christ's  indictment  of  the  church  because  of 
its  lukewarmness.  He  says  that  it  is  ''neither  hot  nor 
cold."  Surely,  this  is  true  of  our  churches  to-day,  par- 
ticularly in  our  great  cities.  I  sound  no  note  of  pessi- 
mism, but  rather  one  of  earnest  warning.  Think  seriously 
of  the  lack  of  soul-winning  zeal  and  enthusiasm  in  the 
church  to-day !  In  the  beginning  all  the  Christians  were 
soul-winners,  and  the  ''Lord  added  to  the  church  daily 
such  as  were  being  saved."  To-day  the  addition  of  mem- 
bers in  our  city  churches  comes  so  seldom  that  it  is  al- 
most a  notable  event.  There  is  but  one  thing  that  the 
Master  has  left  the  church  to  do  in  the  world,  and  that  is 
to  save  souls.  A  great  deal  of  work  is  being  done  by 
the  official  boards,  committees  and  societies  to  keep  the 
ecclesiastical  wheels  turning,  but  the  proportion  of  time 
and  energy  put  by  the  church  on  soul-winning  is  de- 
plorably small.  Statistics  carefully  gathered  a  short  time 
ago  from  a  large  group  of  our  Baptist  churches  disclosed 
the  fact  that  only  four  per  cent,  of  the  members  in  these 
churches  were  engaged  in  any  sort  of  soul-winning  ac- 
tivity, and  this  included  the  teachers  in  the  Sunday 
schools ! 

We  have  another  illustration  of  this  lack  of  soul- 


152     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

winning  zeal  in  the  fact  that  many  of  our  great  city 
churches  close  their  doors,  some  of  them  for  as  long  as 
three  or  four  months  in  the  summer — the  very  season 
of  the  year  when  the  best  work  might  be  done  for  Christ's 
cause.  It  is  depressing  to  see  churches  of  financial 
strength  and  social  prestige  thus  shutting  up  shop  for  the 
summer  months  and  early  fall  and  turning  the  city  over 
to  the  Catholics  and  the  devil!  And  I  mean  no  dis- 
courtesy or  disparagement  in  putting  it  that  way.  I  am 
glad  of  the  fact  that  the  Catholics  never  shut  up  shop. 
From  the  cathedral  down  to  the  humblest  mission  in  this 
city  they  continue  their  activities  twelve  months  in  the 
year.  I  am  altogether  at  the  opposite  pole  from  them 
in  all  my  theological  and  religious  thmkmg,  but  I  do  sav. 
in  frankness  and  honesty  that  thev  are  giving  to  the  city 
a  far  more  consistent  witness  to  their  convictions  than 
are  many  of  our  ir'rotestant  churches. ,  Some  complain 
of  Catholic  success  in  New  York.  Why  should  not 
Catholics  succeed  with  this  situation?  They  deserve  to 
succeed,  and  we  deserve  to  fail  because  of  this  lack 
of  zeal. 

My  experience  here  in  New  York  city  the  first  sum- 
mer of  this  pastorate,  which  was  during  the  war, 
not  only  amazed  but  staggered  and  stunned  me,  as  I  saw 
how  our  Protestant  churches  seemed  to  be  "sitting  at 
ease  in  Zion."  The  conditions  were  really  distressing. 
The  city  was  not  only  crowded  with  soldiers  and  sailors, 
but  with  their  mothers  and  fathers,  who  were  coming 
with  their  burdened  hearts  to  tell  their  boys  good-by. 
What  did  they  find  here?  Instead  of  finding  churches 
wide  open  to  bring  them  a  message  of  cheer  and  comfort 
and  hope  and  faith,  they  found  the  churches  closed,  and 
pastors  and  leading  laymen  alike  away  in  the  mountains 


Jazz  Band  that  performen  for  Church.     Young  women  dressed  as  men  '. 


RAG-TIME  RELIGION  153 

and  at  the  seaside.  Not  only  were  there  not  enough 
Protestant  preachers  in  this  city  to  marry  the  people  and 
to  give  perplexed  hearts  and  minds  Christian  counsel, 
but  there  were  not  enough  even  to  bury  the  dead  decently. 
I  have  heard  of  cases  where  no  preachers  could  be  se- 
cured for  funerals  and  where  the  burial  service  was 
read  over  the  dead  bodies  of  church  members  by  a  ''lady/ 
visitor!" 

Does  any  one  dare  say  that  something  ought  not  to 
said  and  done  about  such  conditions  ?    Does  any  one  dare 
charge  that  it  is  unkindness  to  criticize  such  weakness  or 
such  appalling  indifference? 

Within  our  own  Baptist  denomination,  for  example, 
here  on  Manhattan  Island,  more  than  a  dozen  churches 
have  died  during  the  past  few  years.  We  now  have  left 
only  one  self-supporting  Baptist  church  on  the  eastern 
half  of  Manhattan  Island  from  the  Battery  all  the  way 
to  the  Bronx,  though  there  are  more  than  1,000,000  peo- 
ple in  that  district.  This  sole  survivor  continues  be- 
cause it  is  buttressed  by  endowments,  given  by  the  conse- 
crated people  of  previous  generations. 

What  is  true  of  our  denomination  seems  also  to  be  true 
of  others.  Recently  three  of  the  world-famous  churches 
of  one  denomination  were  merged  into  one.  In  speaking 
of  the  tendencies  within  his  denomination  a  minister  of 
one  of  the  other  denominations  remarked  to  me  a  short 
time  ago  that  their  ''Church  Extension  Society"  oughts 
really  to  be  called  "Tjie  Church  Extinction  Society.'vV 
They  were  burying  churches  or  merging  them  with  otheT 
churches  so  rapidly  that  the  change  of  name  seemed  ap- 
propriate. 


154     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

WORLDLINESS  IN  THE   CHURCHES 

Think,  my  friends,  what  the  heart  of  Christ  must  feel 
as  he  sees  the  worldHness  in  many  of  the  churches  of 
to-day.  This  applies  to  both  Protestants  and  Catholics. 
We  see  the  whole  religious  community  of  New  York 
advertised  in  connection  with  the  famous  ''Bal-Bleu 
Ball"  at  the  Ritz-Carlton,  and  linked  up  not  only  with  the 
ball,  but  with  the  theater  ballet,  which  was  given  as  part 
of  that  entertainment,  and  all  in  the  name  of  charity  and 
religion!  We  see  other  churches  inviting  opera  "stars'' 
to  sing  at  their  services,  and  securing  ''movie  artists*'  in 
the  frantic  effort  to  attract  the  crowd,  and  the  papers 
gave  an  account  of  one  church  recently  which  employed 
a  professional  whistler  "who  held  forth  to  the  great  de- 
light of  a  large  congregation."  To  which  was  added  the  re- 
mark that  Mr.  Bain,  the  performer  on  lips,  is  a  "sweet  and 
penetrating  whistler,"  and  that  he  was  "engaged  and  ad- 
vertised as  the  musical  feature  of  the  afternoon!" 

New  York  papers  recently  told  of  a  pastor  who  had 
introduced  a  "jazz  band"  into  his  services.  The  pastor, 
as  quoted  in  the  papers,  said:  "I  tried  something  new 
at  my  services  Sunday.  We  had  a  vaudeville  service. 
Mr.  Reef,  the  banjo  king  of  jazz  band  players,  attended 
our  services  and  played  his  regular  program,  accom- 
panied by  our  org^n.  The  success  was  greater  than  you 
can  imagine.  Our  program  was  arranged  like  that  of  a 
high-class  theater,  and  the  people  enjoyed  the  treat  along 
with  hearing  a  good  Gospel  sermon.  I  have  something 
further  along  this  line  for  coming  Sunday  evenings.  If 
the  people  want  life  I  am  going  to  mix  it  with  the  Gospel, 
and  then  I  am  sure  they  will  come  to  church  every  Sun- 
day." 


RAG-TIME  RELIGION  155 

Lord  help  us !    He_gromises  "something"  f urther_along_, 
tiiisJine^lLas  though  the  introduction  of  vaudeville  into    / 
the  church  was  not  the  "limit!"     Think  of  people  being 
bought  in  these  ways  in  order  that  they  might  be  induced 
to  condescend  to  listen  to  a  Gospel  sermon,  when  what  j 
they  ought  to  have  had  was  a  rebuke  for  their  worldli- 
ness  and  sins  and  an  invitation  to  turn  to  the  higher 
things  of  life! 

Another  of  our  great  historic  churches  announced  that 
it  had  advanced  its  hour  of  morning  worship  from  eleven 
to  ten  oVlock,  in  order,  as  the  rector  put  it,  that  his  mem- 
bgrs  might  have  more  time  for  Sunday  afternooQ^sp'^ntl, 
Think  of  the  folly  and  shame  of  thus  shuttle-cocking 
the__servicesof  Almighty  God  from  hour  to  hour.  and_ 

making  frantic  ettorts  to  shorten  the  period  of  worship 

m  order  that  worldlv-minded  church  members  may  have, 
more  time  and  better  opportunity  to  desecratf^  HrvH^c  V|fv]y 
jay  by  sporty  and  otViPf  «;e1fic;Vi  ^ndn^gpnrp'^^  in  dWert 
violation  of  one  of  the  Ten  Commandments ! 

No  wonder  that  our  modern  city  churches  are  shorn 
of  power  to  save  souls  and  are  slowly  shriveling  up  and 
dying  of  spiritual  dry-rot,  when  their  members  are  not 
only  not  rebuked  for  wearing  themselves  out  during  the 
week  in  Mammon  worship  and  the  mad  race  for  money, 
but  are  allowed,  even  by  their  spiritual  leaders,  to  be- 
lieve that  such  worldly  lives  are  all  right,  and  that  it  is 
entirely  proper  to  push  even  the  worship  of  God  off 
into  a  corner  on  Sunday,  in  order  that  they  may  steal 
part  of  God's  day  for  the  recreation  necessary  to  fit  them 
for  another  week  of  strenuous  chasing  of  the  dollar  and 
the  worldly  pleasures  which  the  dollar  buys!  I  do  not 
wish  to  seem  unkind  or  harsh  in  judgment,  but  I  cannot 
stand  by  and  see  these  things,  which  I  feel  are  treason 


156     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

to  the  holy  cause  of  Christ,  without  entering  a  humble 
and  earnest  protest. 

I  believe  that  these  new  church  methods  are  a  shame- 
less surrender  to  the  worst  tendencies  of  the  times.  What 
are  all  of  these  jazz  bands  and  banjo  players  and  whis- 
tlers but  an  open  catering  to  the  prurient  curiosity  of 
the  thoughtless  crowd?  What  are  they  but  a  surrender 
to  the  consuming  thirst  for  novelty,  sensation,  something 
to  stare  at,  the  craving  for  "entertainment,"  which  the 
degenerate  taste  of  the  times  demands? 

This  is  "rag-time"  religion  with  a  vengeance! 

And  the  next  stage — what  shall  it  be?  More  pro- 
nounced vaudeville  features  ?  Tight-rope  walking  across 
the  heads  of  the  congregation  from  the  gallery  to  the 
choir  loft?  "Consecrated"  clog  dancing  and  the  "reH- 
gious"  ballet  between  the  preacher's  "stunts"?  Are  we 
to  have  this?  At  least  it  seems  possible.  When  the  pres- 
ent brass-band- whistler-ban  j  o-opera-star-religious-drama 
program  has  lost  its  novelty,  how  will  our  dear  brethren 
draw  the  multitude,  save  by  a  stiffer  stimulation  of  the 
appetite  for  the  startling,  the  curious  and  the  outre f  If 
we  are  to  compete  with  the  vaudeville  theater  by  getting 
down  to  its  level,  must  we  not  outdo  our  competitor  or 
lose  out  in  the  struggle? 

Sad  indeed  is  the  spectacle  that  these  things  present  to 
the  thoughtful  eye.  To  those  who  know  religion  as  an 
experience  of  grace  in  the  human  heart,  who  believe  that 
regeneration  means  a  change  of  heart,  a  turning  about, 
through  the  power  of  God,  from  the  "natural  man"  of 
thoughtlessness,  vanity,  selfishness  and  sin,  to  the  "new 
creature  in  Christ  Jesus,"  a  being  of  faith  and  humility 
and  gentleness  and  love — to  such  as  these  how  alarming 
must  these  modern  methods  appear! 


RAG-TIME  RELIGION  157 

Strange,  is  it  not,  that  Paul  nor  Augustine  nor  Savona- 
rola nor  Wesley  nor  Spurgeon  nor  Moody  ever  adopted 
such  tactics?  There  were  no  jazz  bands  nor  whistlers  at 
Pentecost.  There  were  only  unity,  earnestness,  *'stead- 
fastness"  in  prayer,  and  the  bold  and  fearless  preaching 
of  Peter,  reproving  them  for  their  "wicked  hands" — 
and  then  came  the  tongues  of  fire  and  the  parting  of  the 
waters  by  3,000  of  the  regenerated  and  redeemed! 

liythechange  ?    Havewe  lost  faith  in  the  efficiency 


of  the  plain  Gospel?  Is  it  not  simply  to  "know  the 
truth"  that  makes  us  "free"?  Is  the  province  of  the 
pulpit  other  than  to  proclaim  the  truth  with  sweetness, 
strength,  earnestness  and  love,  leaving  the  "increase"  in 
the  hands  of  God?  Why  the  vaudeville  attachments? 
Why  the  bargain  counter  methods?  Why  cheapen  and 
degrade  a  puissant  and  noble  religion  with  such  gim- 
crackery  and  patent-medicine  pranks?  Does  the  church 
of  the  living  God  need  to  be  propped  up  with  theaters 
and  brass  bands?  Does  it  need  bolstering  with  vaude- 
ville stars  and  side-show  stunts?     God  forbid! 

Whence  come  th^p^f  t^ingrQ  ?  Xhe  tap  root,  the  great- 
est,  longest,  most  powerful  of  all  the  feeders  of  rag-time 
religion,  is  the  presence  of  a  question  mark  in  the  pulpit 
6i  to-day!  Doubt  among  ministers  is  the  central  fact 
that  has  caused  these  unfortunate  results.  Preachers  are 
not  just  certain  where  they  "stand."  Many  of  them  no 
longer  have  a  positive  and  definite  message.  The  worldly 
inclined  are  always  ready  with  a  positive  policy  tO'  secure 
if  they  can  greater  latitude  for  worldhness,  so  they  easily 
rise  and  overshadow  the  weak  and  halting  pulpit.  The 
convictions  of  many  ministers  are  so  unsettled  by  the 

fi^ve  takf^n    into    "scientific" 
faTth  in  the  authority  and  sufficiency  of 


158     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Holy  Writ  has  been  so  shaken  by  superficial  study  of 
Ahe.  "higher  criticism''  that  tb^V  ^^ally  liayf^  liftlp  left 
which  they  can  prorlaim  with  fervor,  parne.qtness  and 
convicting  force.  Doubting  constantly,  or  believing  but 
littlentiTemselves,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  they  will 
help  other  doubters  and  lead  them  to  the  rock  of  faith. 
When  the  '^lind  lead  the  blind,"  shall  not  both  "fall 
into  the  ditch"?  "If  the  trumpet  give  an  uncertain 
sound,  who  shall  prepare  himself  to  the  battle?" 

Having  but  little  of  the  old  faith  that  they  can  preach, 
and  facing  the  need  of  preparation  of  two  services  for 
the  coming  Sunday,  many  preachers  are  thus  led  to 
resort  to  "rag-time"  methods  to  attract  and  satisfy  the 
people. 

THE  LEAN  SHEEP  OF  TO-DAY 

*'Feed  my  sheep"  is  the  divine  command.  We  are 
not  to  cater  to  curiosity  nor  to  silly  vanity.  We  are  to 
feed  the  flock  on  the  Gospel  of  God.  How  little  they 
are  fed  to-day — the  poor,  lean  sheep!  Here  on  the 
Lord's  Day  they  are  gathered  in  the  earthly  fold.  Their 
eyes  are  lack-luster  and  sunken  from  dissipation,  their 
cheeks  are  sallow,  their  spiritual  blood  is  thin,  and  their 
nerves  are  wasted  from  the  excitement,  the  grind,  the 
bustle  and  the  haste  of  our  busy  age.  Ah,  how  the  water 
of  life  would  refresh  them!  How  the  saving  food  of 
God's  simple  but  potent  truth  would  nourish  and 
strengthen!  But  they  are  denied  it.  They  are  fed  on 
the  same  husks  of  sensation  that  have  choked  them  dur- 
ing the  week,  and  when  the  Lord's  Day  is  done  they  have 
only  seen  the  "whistler,"  heard  the  banjo,  and  applauded 
the  tooting  of  the  horns ! 

The  question  that  confronts  us  to-day  is:    Shall  we 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  iCi 

is  Sunday  to  the  home,  evolving  all  its  elements  in  one 
fair  blossom."     And  a  poet  has  quaintly  sung: 

"The  Sundays  of  man's  life, 

Threaded  together  on  time's  string, 

Make  bracelets  to  adorn  the  wife 
Of  the  eternal,  glorious  King." 

These  definitions  and  descriptions  show  the  esteem  in 
which  the  high  souls  of  the  race  have  held  this  holy  day. 
But  not  only  is  the  Sabbath  beautiful,  it  is  of  the  greatest 
practical  value. 

THE  SABBATH  AND  RELIGION 

For  one  thing,  no  really  vital  and  adequate  church  life 
is  possible  without  a  right  observance  of  the  Sabbath.    In  X 
the  South,  where  the  Sabbath  is  observed,  the  churches 
are  vigorous  and  strong.     In  the  North,  where  the  Sab-  A 
bath  is  increasingly  disregarded,  the  churches  seem  to  \J 
be  weakening  year  by  year.  ^ 

i      I  hear  some  friends  saying  that  they  can  worship  God 
A  as  well  by  going  to  the  country  and  enjoying  the  beauties 
of  nature  as  they  can  by  attending  the  sanctuary.    I  con- 
y  f ess,  however,  that  I  cannot  understand  such  psychology 
'lOr  such  spirituality.     A  hot  fire  can  be  kindled  only  by 
y  heaping  up  the  coals.     Take  a  glowing  coal  from  the 
heart  of  the  fire  and  lay  it  by  itself  on  the  corner  of  the 
/  hearth,  and  how  speedily  does  it  lose  its  heat  and  blacken 
until  it  is  cold  and  dead.    We  need  to  receive  the  fire  of 
other  lives,  and  we  need  to  give  our  own  warmth  in  re-  • 
turn.    This  assertion  that  we  can  isolate  ourselves  from 
t,he  rhnrch  and  Still  be  Christians  is  Totly  with  which 
indolence  and  disobedience  cheat  the  soul.     What  tEi  •- 


1 62     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Bible  says  is  this :  "Forsake  not  the  assembling  of  your- 
selves together."  And  that  means  attendance  upon  the 
sanctuary  as  a  due  part  of  the  proper  observance  of 
God's  holy  day. 

We  need  just  what  God  seeks  to  give  us,  through  the 
church,  week  by  week.  When  the  children  of  Israel 
were  marching  through  the  wilderness  God  sent  the 
manna  fresh  to  them  every  morning.  If  it  became  stale 
it  grew  distasteful  and  unwholesome.  We  cannot  live 
upon  our  past  religious  experiences.  There  must  be  a 
renewal  of  God's  good  grace  in  our  hearts  and  lives  day 
by  day,  and  week  by  week ;  and  His  holy  Sabbath  is  the 
time  when  we  can  gather  the  manna  fresh  and  sweet 
from  the  storehouse  of  divine  love  and  care.  When  the 
Sabbath  is  disregarded,  therefore,  the  individual  spiritual 
life  weakens,  and  the  decay  of  the  church  is  inevitable. 

THE  SUNDAY   NEWSPAPER 

How  insidious  and  terrific  are  the  assaults  which  Satan 
is  making  to-day  upon  this  Gibraltar  of  God's  truth — 
the  Holy  Sabbath.  Think,  for  example,  of  the  ruin 
wrought  by  our  Sunday  newspapers.  What  I  say  here, 
I  say  absolutely  without  prejudice  or  bitterness.  I  have 
been  a  newspaper  man  myself.  I  know  and  honor  the 
American  newspaper  fraternity,  and  I  believe  that  our 
American  papers,  on  the  whole,  exert  a  noble  and  won- 
derful influence  upon  our  national  life.  They  are  the 
greatest  organs  of  public  opinion  which  we  have,  because 
they  reach  the  people  so  immediately  and  so  universally ; 
but  there  is  one  glaring  flaw  in  the  splendid  diadem  of 
usefulness  and  power  which  they  so  worthily  wear;  and 
that  is  their  desecration  of  God's  holy  day. 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  163 

For  one  thing,  they  prevent  their  employees,  especially 
the  army  of  newsboys  who  sell  and  distribute  the  papers, 
from  attending  Sunday  school  and  church.  It  has  been 
conservatively  estimated  that  at  least  500,000  newsboys 
are  employed  every  Sunday  in  distributing  Sunday  pa- 
pers, and  their  duties  come  at  such  an  hour  in  the  day 
as  to  keep  them  effectively  out  of  both  Sunday  school 
and  church.  Is  it  nothing  to  us  that  these  500,000  of  our 
American  youth  are  being  denied  the  priznlege  of 
religious  training  in  the  house  of  Godf  Is  it  nothing  to 
us  that  they  are  being  taught  to  violate  one  of  the  Ten 
Commandments  for  gain? 

Not  only  so,  but  the  Sunday  newspapers  unconsciously 
influence  many  of  their  readers  from  attending  divine 
worship,  by  giving  to  them  a  fascinating  counter-attrac- 
tion presented  just  at  the  church  hour,  thus  building  up 
slowly  but  surely  the  non-churchgoing  habit. 

Further,  though  there  is  usually  considerable  good 
matter  in  the  Sunday  papers,  by  far  the  greater  propor- 
tion of  it  has  to  do  with  the  same  exciting,  nerve-racking, 
heart-depressing,  worldly  interests  which  have  worn  out 
the  people,  body  and  mind,  during  the  week.  The  aver- 
age Sunday  newspaper  is  a  conglomeration  of  advertise- 
ments, market  reports,  baseball  slang,  political  hurrah, 
society  scandals.  Bowery  murders,  silly  sentiment. 
Buster  Brown  humor  and  utilitarian  ethics — a  dose  suffi- 
cient to  paralyze  the  moral  energies  of  the  people  for  the 
following  week! 

Surely  we  ought  to  have  one  day  in  seven  in  which 
our  minds  and  hearts  could  be  rested  from  all  of  these 
things.  The  stress  and  strain  of  our  complex  modern 
civilization  is  killing  even  at  best,  and  we  need  the 
mental  relaxation  and  rest  which  come  from  a  periodical 


1 64     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  radical  change  of  thought  from  worldly  things  to 
the  higher  things  of  life. 

The  Sunday  paper  is  not  a  necessity  of  our  system  of 
life.  The  Sunday  paper  is  an  unfortunate  legacy  of  our 
own  Civil  War,  and  in  Canada  and  England  the  few 
Sunday  papers  now  printed  are  one  of  the  evil  results 
of  the  last  war.  Prior  to  19 14  there  were  no  Sun- 
day papers  in  Canada  or  England,  and  we  believe  that 
the  people — including  the  newspaper  men  themselves — 
would  be  infinitely  better  off  if  another  edition  of  the 
Sunday  papers  was  never  published. 

SUNDAY    THEATERS 

The  Sunday  theater  and  moving  picture  shows  are 
also  crying  evils,  because  such  institutions  win  the  peo- 
ple away  from  the  churches,  particularly  the  young,  and 
train  them  into  habits  of  neglect  of  the  House  of  God. 

Mr.  H.  W.  Hicks,  Superintendent  of  the  New  York 
Sunday  School  Association,  states  that  from  the  most 
careful  estimates  that  can  be  made,  there  are  now  in 
Greater  New  York  250,000  children  of  school  age  (that 
is  up  to  16  years  old),  belonging  to  Protestant  homes, 
who  are  not  in  any  Sunday  school.  If  you  include  those 
who  are  between  the  ages  of  16  and  24,  another  200,- 
000  would  have  to  be  added  to  that  figure,  making  almost 
an  even  half  million  of  small  children  and  young  people 
who  are  not  now  in  any  Protestant  Sunday  school.  Mr. 
Hicks  further  states  that,  while  exact  figures  are  not 
available,  there  has  nevertheless,  within  the  last  year  or 
so,  been  an  enormous  and  alarming  shrinkage  in  the 
number  of  children  and  young  people  attending  our 
Sunday  schools.     It  is  a  very  significant  fact,  too,  that 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  165 

this  shrinkage  has  been  contemporaneous  with  the  open- 
ing of  Sunday  moving  picture  shows,  etc.  It  is  beyond 
controversy  that  these  things  are  trenching  in  tremen- 
dously upon  our  Sunday  schools  and  churches,  and  are 
doing  thereby  an  incalculable  harm  to  the  children  of 
both  sexes.  Recreation  and  amusement  have  their  legiti- 
mate place  in  the  scheme  of  human  living,  but  if  we  are 
to  make  them  a  substitute  for  the  deeper  and  more  sacred 
things  of  life  then  they  become  a  curse  instead  of  a 
blessing.  We  are  in  danger  of  developing  a  superficial, 
flippant  and  thoughtless  citizenship  by  a  wrongly  bal- 
anced mental  and  spiritual  diet. 

Laws  for  opening  the  movies  on  Sunday,  for  permit- 
ting Sunday  baseball,  etc.,  are  all  wrong  in  principle  and 
entirely  uncalled  for,  because  the  people  already  give  a 
disproportionate  amount  of  their  time  and  strength  to 
such  things,  as  compared  with  the  really  necessary  and 
noble  things  of  life.  Nothing  has  done  so  much  to  break 
down  the  churches,  and  also  the  home  life  of  the  people 
in  New  York  City,  as  the  secularizing  of  the  Sabbath 
Day.  All  citizens  who  believe  in  God  and  the  more 
sacred  things  of  life,  ought  to  move  always  energetically 
for  the  defeat  of  such  measures.  The  very  foundation 
of  our  modern  civilization  is  endangered  by  these  ten- 
dencies to  destroy  the  influence  of  the  church  and  the 
integrity  of  the  home  life  of  the  masses.  I 

THE  UNITY   OF   THE  TEN   COMMANDMENTS 

People  may  laugh  at  those  who  defend  the  old- 
fashioned  Sabbath,  and  call  them  old-fogyish  and  im- 
practicable, ]put  the  fact  nevertheless  stands — a. fact  writ- 
ten  all  over  history— ^that  the  nation  that  tramples  the 


1 66     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Lord/s  day  underfoot  is  trpa^^ing  the  downward  way  to 
moral  and  spiritual  death.  Modern  Europe  has  amply 
illustrated  this  truth. 

God's  law  is  plain  and  emphatic.  In  Exodus  20:8-11 
it  is  written: 

''Remember  the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it  holy. 

"Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy  work;  but 
the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God: 
in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou  nor  thy  son,  nor 
thy  daughter,  thy  man-servant,  nor  thy  maid-servant, 
nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates : 
for  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  Heaven  and  earth,  and 
the  sea  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh 
day:  Wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath  day  and 
hallowed  it." 

What  are  we  going  to  do  with  that?  Have  we  modern 
people  gotten  to  the  paint  where  we  are  ready  to  abolish 
the  Ten  Commandments,  either  for  the  sake  of  business 
success,  or  for  the  sake  of  our  enjoyment? 

We  cannot  claim  God's  promise  in  one  place  if  we 
violate  His  law  in  another.  We  need  to  understand  that 
every  promise  of  the  blessings  of  heaven  upon  us  as 
individuals  and  as  a  people  is  conditioned  by  our 
obedience  to  the  divine  laws.  And  if  we  have  a  right 
to  violate  God's  law  of  the  Sabbath,  then  why  have  we 
not  an  equal  right  to  violate  any  other  one  of  the  Com- 
mandments which  we  may  desire  to  break? 

The  cashier  of  a  bank,  who  was  recently  sentenced  to 
the  penitentiary  for  stealing,  charged  the  officials  of  the 
bank  with  indirect  responsibility  for  his  crime.  He  said : 
"When  I  began  work  for  the  bank  I  was  a  religious  man 
and  believed  in  obeying  all  of  God's  laws;  but  the  bank 
officials  compelled  me  to  work  more  or  less  on  Sundays, 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  167 

and  thus  to  break  one  of  the  Ten  Commandments,  and 
this  undermined  my  regard  for  all  of  the  other  Com- 
mandments." Is  there  not  a  tremendously  significant 
point  in  this  statement  ?  Oh,  business  man,  if  you  require 
your  employees  to  disregard  the  Sabbath  do  not  hlame 
them  too  severely  if  they  steal  from  your  till!  If  you 
hazfe  the  right  to  rob  God  of  His  day,  why  liave  they 
not  a  right  to  rob  you  of  your  money?  If  you  teach 
them  to  disobey  one  of  the  Ten  Commandments,  upon 
what  ground  shall  you  insist  that  they  obey  tlie  other 
Commandm  en  ts  ? 

As  one  observes  conditions  in  New  York  City,  one  is 
not  surprised  to  see  the  falling  off  in  church  attendance, 
and  other  indications  of  a  loss  of  real  religious  power. 
In  the  morning,  just  at  the  church  hour,  comes  the 
voluminous  Sunday  paper;  then  in  the  afternoon  comes 
the  Sunday  golf  and  automobile  "joy  ride,"  and  then 
at  night  the  Sunday  theater,  concert,  "patriotic"  rally, 
etc.  The  wonder  is  that  there  is  any  religion  at  all  left/ 
in  New  York  with  this  terrific  combination  for  the  breaki 
ing  down  of  God's  holy  day! 

We  hear  a  great  outcry  to-day  against  what  is  termed 
the  "Puritan  Sabbath";  but  we  had  better  have  some 
of  the  old-fashioned  Puritanism  rather  than  the  hell-born 
Impuritanism  of  this  age!  Better  even  the  rigid  Blue 
taws  ot'  New  tLngland — iT  it  comes  to  a  choice  between 
the  two  things — than  the  lax  habits  of  to-day,  which 
have  transformed  the  Sabbath  from  a  holy  day,  first  to 
a  holiday,  and  then  from  that  to  a  hollow  day — a  day 
of  sin  and  self-indulgence,  and  worldliness! 


i68     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

SABBATH   OBSERVANCE  AND  SECULAR  SUCCESS 

The  Sabbath  again  is  a  necessity  for  physical  well- 
being,  without  which  no  abiding  temporal  success  is  pos- 
sible. The  effort  was  made  during  the  French  Revolu- 
tion to  substitute  the  plan  of  one  day's  rest  in  ten,  in- 
stead of  one  day's  rest  in  seven;  but  the  results  were 
disastrous. 

Dr.  William  D.  Love  says: 

"Laws  for  rest  are  stationed  all  along  the  physical  na- 
ture. The  lungs  rest  after  every  breath  we  take.  The 
blood  vessels  rest  between  the  heart  beatings.  The  nerves 
and  brain  will  have  rest,  and  will  revenge  themselves  upon 
us,  if  we  cut  short  the  supply.  The  ordaining  of  day 
and  night  to  follow  each  other  in  quick  succession  through 
all  the  ages  of  the  world  was  a  merciful  appointment  of 
God.  Without  it  the  human  species  would  probably  have 
become  extinct  at  a  very  early  period  of  time.  But  ex- 
perience and  observation  have  shown  that  the  rest  of 
night  and  all  forms  of  daily  and  nightly  rest  put  together 
are  insufficient  for  the  highest  end  of  man's  physical  well- 
being.    There  must  be  days  as  well  as  nights  of  rest." 

Even  dumb  brutes  are  subject  to  this  universal  law 
of  nature.  The  superintendent  of  one  of  the  great  car 
companies  of  London  stated  to  the  British  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  that  his  company,  by 
not  working  the  horses  on  Sunday,  made  a  saving  of  12 
per  cent.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  pioneers  who 
traveled  across  our  continent  in  the  early  days  found 
that  it  paid  to  keep  the  Sabbath.  We  are  told  that  those 
who  rested  themselves  and  their  horses  on  the  Sabbath 
reached  the  Pacific  earlier  than  those  who  traveled  the 
seven  days  in  the  week.  A  professor  of  hygiene  in  Leip- 
sic  University  said,  "If  religion  calls  the  seventh  day  the 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  169 

Day  of  the  Lord,  the  hygienist  will  call  Sunday  the  day 
of  man." 

When  the  great  war  broke  out,  as  we  all  know,  Eng- 
land was  not  prepared,  and  the  leaders  of  England  sup- 
posed that  it  was  necessary  to  lengthen  the  hours  of 
labor  and  to  work  employees  all  day  Sunday  that  thereby 
more  munitions  might  be  turned  out.  I  read  with  inter- 
est the  report  of  the  English  Commission  on  the  Welfare 
of  Munition  Employees.  Their  investigation  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  the  output  of  munitions  was  not 
satisfactory  under  this  plan  of  excessively  long  hours. 
The  report  showed  that,  after  the  hours  were  reduced, 
and  when  the  Sabbath  work  was  abandoned,  the  em- 
ployees turned  out  more  munitions  than  they  did  under 
the  old  plan.  That  proves  again  that  God's  law  and 
man's  best  interest  are  always  one.  This  is  one  reason 
why  Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  wrote  a 
message  on  November  8th  for  the  Thirtieth  Anniversary 
of  the  Lord's  Day  Alliance  of  the  United  States,  as 
follows : 

**The  world  has  learned,  even  in  war,  that  Sabbath 
Observance  is  not  only  a  Christian  duty,  but  an  industrial 
necessity.  We  have  been  fighting  for  eighteen  months 
to  guarantee  the  civilization  of  which  the  Nazarene  was 
the  inspiration,  and  any  relaxation  of  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  of  Christ  would  lessen  the  American  morale." 

Henry  Van  Dyke  says: 

"The  preservation  of  the  Lord's  Day  for  the  higher 
and  nobler  purposes  of  man  is  one  of  the  most  important 
issues  of  the  after-war  work  which  the  world  must  face." 

The  American  working  people  have  as  great  a  stake 
in  this  question  of   Sabbath  observance,  therefore,   as 


I70     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

have  the  leaders  of  the  churches.  Commercial  interests, 
for  selfish  ends,  are  seeking  to  legalize  on  Sunday  the 
operation  of  "non-essential"  industries.  Already  nearly 
four  million  laborers  are  at  work  every  Sunday,  half  or 
more  of  whom  should  be  released.  For  example,  1 50,000 
caddies  are  on  the  golf  links  every  Sunday  in  season, 
tempted  away  from  Sunday  school  by  men  (many  of 
them  church  members),  who  for  selfish  Sunday  pleasure 
are  robbing  the  boys  of  moral  and  religious  opportunity 
and  training.  We  must  fight  earnestly  against  these 
abuses;  and  what  a  vigorous  fight  will  accomplish  is 
illustrated  by  the  movement  which  brought  about  the 
closing  of  the  first-  and  second-class  post  offices  on  Sun- 
day, which  means  Sunday  rest  for  100,000  letter  carriers 
and  clerks. 

The  forces  of  labor,  therefore,  should  stand  with  the 
church  and  battle  for  this  vital  necessity  of  one  day's 
rest  in  seven.  Well  did  Rabbi  Hirsch,  of  Temple  Israel, 
Chicago,  say :  "The  Sabbath  sentiment  has  thrown 
around  the  American  workman  the  rampart  of  protec- 
tion. It  has  given  him  what  no  other  laboring  man  on 
earth  has — the  feeling  that  on  one  day  out  of  seven  he 
is  a  free  man,  free  from  the  shackles  of  slavery."  In  the 
light  of  these  truths  it  must  be  apparent  that  the  best  in- 
terests of  all  our  people,  even  at  the  practical  point  of 
business  efficiency,  is  at  stake  In  these  great  issues.  Sab- 
bath observance  is  indeed  the  highest  form  of  social 
sanity. 

THE   SABBATH    A    NATIONAL   NECESSITY 

This  leads  me  to  say  that  the  inspirations  of  patriot- 
ism as  well  as  the  interests  of  religion  should  lead  us 
rightly  to  observe  the  Sabbath  Day.     The  Sabbath  is  a 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  171 

national  necessity.  Whatever  is  for  the  physical,  mental, 
moral  and  spiritual  good  of  the  people  is  for  the  good 
of  the  nation.  "Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,*'  and 
without  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God,  there  can  be  no 
true  national  righteousness.  If  we  would  see  our  coun- 
try continuingly  and  increasingly  great,  then  we  must 
dig  again  the  wells  from  which  our  fathers  drank,  and 
learn  to  walk  again  in  the  old  paths.  The  true  greatness 
of  a  nation  cannot  be  measured  by  successful  wars, 
towering  office  buildings,  mighty  navies  and  armies,  piled 
up  treasures  of  wealth,  or  a  triumphant  commercial 
system. 

"Sad  fares  the  land^ 

To  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates, 

And  men  decay." 

IManhood  is  the  measure  of  national  greatness;  and 
we  should  covet  that  * 'righteousness  which  exalteth  a  na- 
tion," above  every  material  gift  and  power;  for  then  the 
"heritage  of  Jacob"  will  be  ours,  and  the  rich  blessings 
of  the  good  God  will  rest  upon  our  beloved  land. 

Not  only  is  the  command  of  God  on  the  side  of  Sab- 
bath observ^ance,  but  the  inspirations  of  His  promises  are 
also  ours  when  we  obey.  Some  ask  to-day :  "Why  should 
there  be  laws  to  fortify  the  Christian  Sabbath,  when 
there  are  many  people  in  this  free  land  who  observe  an- 
other day?"  We  answer  that  by  saying  that  from  its 
foundation  this  country  has  been  recognized  as  a  Chris- 
tian land.  Those  who  have  come  to  us  of  alien  race  or 
faith  ought  to  realize  that  the  majority  have  a  right  to 
rule,  and  they  ought  to  show  their  appreciation  of  the 
blessings  which  our  Christian  civilization  has  brought 


172     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

to  them  by  cooperating  with  us  to  preserve  inviolate  that 
institution  which  is  one  of  the  main  pillars  in  the  temple 
of  our  national  greatness,  namely,  the  Sabbath  Day! 

The  Christian  Sabbath  had  its  origin  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Our  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ.  To  honor 
Him  and  to  memorialize  the  blessed  truth  of  His  resur- 
rection, the  Sabbath  was  changed  from  the  last  to  the 
first  day  of  the  week.  Our  Christian  Sabbath,  therefore, 
has  in  it  not  only  the  law  of  the  Old  Testament,  but  the 
gospel  of  the  new ;  and  resting  upon  it  is  the  hope  of  all 
the  future.  To  desecrate  the  Lord's  day  is  not  only  to 
violate  the  law  of  rest,  but  to  treat  with  contempt  the 
resurrection  of  Christ. 


A    PLEA    FOR    THE    OLD    FASHION 

Oh,  how  we  need  to  come  back  to  the  paths  which  our 
fathers  trod!  I  am  no  pessimist  concerning  the  future, 
but  I  see,  I  see  clearly,  some  of  the  danger  points  that 
are  confronting  us  to-day.  We  need  to  follow  God's 
guidance.  We  need  to-day,  as  we  need  nothing  else,  to 
return  to  the  old-fashioned  habits  which  made  our  fathers 
great  and  our  mothers  good.  The  age  at  every  point  is 
living  too  fast.  We  are  grinding  ourselves  to  pieces, 
body,  mind  and  soul. 

We  need  the  old-fashioned  home,  where  children  were 
taught  to  obey  their  parents;  where  there  was  a  family 
altar;  and  where  the  members  of  the  home  found  their 
chief  satisfaction  within  the  home,  instead  of  in  the 
dance  hall,  the  theater,  the  card  room,  and  other  even 
more  questionable  places  of  amusement.  We  may  be 
able  to  grow  a  sturdy  generation  upon  a  diet  of  downy 
beds,  overheated  houses,  fancy  food,  lazy  hours,  moving 


SABBATH  OBSERVANCE  173 

picture  shows,  ice  cream  cones,  chewing  gum,  cigarettes, 
and  tango  dances;  but  if  we  do,  we  will  accomplish  the 
supreme  miracle  of  the  ages. 

We  need  the  old-fashioned  church,  where  prophets 
of  God  stood  in  the  pulpit  instead  of  animated  question 
marks,  and  where  the  everlasting  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God  was  preached,  instead  of  a  thousand  foolish  fads. 
And  above  all,  we  need  the  old-fashioned  Lord's  Day 
in  which  the  plow  rested  in  the  furrow  and  the  sweet 
Sabbath  bells  sounded  across  the  silent  fields  and  the 
quiet  cities — calling  the  people  from  the  feverish  activities 
of  the  week  and  turning  their  thoughts  to  those  divine 
and  heavenly  realities,-  which  constitute  at  last  the  true 
life  of  man! 

By  some  means,  if  our  city  and  country  are  to  con- 
tinue in  health  and  safety,  then  these  true  and  tried 
ideals  of  our  fathers  must  be  saved  to  the  race. 

Particularly  is  this  true  of  our  own  rushing  city.  The 
foundation  of  New  York's  greatness  was  not  laid  by  men 
who  frequented  cabarets  and  violated  the  Sabbath.  The 
foundation  of  the  greatness  of  this  city  and  of  this  na- 
tion was  laid  by  men  who  believed  the  Bible;  who  prayed; 
who  attended  the  sanctuary;  and  who  kept  the  Sabbath 
Day  holy;  and  by  women  who  did  not  wear  their  com- 
plexions in  the  bureau  drcmier;  who  were  not  postmasters 
in  bridge  whist,  nor  iinislied  artists  in  the  fox  trot,  the 
tango,  and  the  bunny  hug;  women  who  would  not  brook 
familiarities  from  men;  who  found  their  homes  more 
attractive  than  the  playhouses;  who  htew  more  about 
their  Bibles  than  about  Ibsen;  who  did  not  qualify  for 
high  society  by  a  record  in  the  divorce  courts  or  a  scandal 
in  the  newspapers;  and  who  would  rather  own  a  baby 
than  a  pug  dog! 


174     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Some  say  that  we  are  making  great  moral  progress 
to-day ;  but  this  is  open  to  serious  question.  We  need 
to  beware  oFthe  deadly  danger  that  while  getting  rid  of 
the  more  repulsive  and  spectacular  elements  of  public 
wrongdoing,  we  do  not,  through  a  relaxation  of  moral 
effort,  allow  a  great  increase  in  clandestine  social  evils 
and  secret  sins. 

The  great  question  at  last  is,  not  whether  society  is 
more  refined  and  orderly  upon  the  surface,  or  even 
whether  it  is  more  moral  as  measured  by  human  stand- 
ards :  the  great  question  is,  Is  there  an  increase  of  vital 
Godliness f  For  without  that  there  can  be  no  true  prog- 
ress and  no  genuine  morality.  Morality  without  religion 
always  fails.  Greece  and  Rome  had  splendid  art  and 
literature,  refined  and  elegant  social  customs,  high  ethical 
codes,  and  noble  philosophical  principles,  but  those 
civilizations  rotted  and  died  because  they  did  not  have  a 
knowledge  of  the  true  God.  And  what  New  York  needs 
to-day  more  than  anything  else  is  for  the  preachers,  edi- 
tors, parents,  and  all  other  forces  of  righteousness,  to 
unite  for  the  reestablishment  of  a  right  home  life  among 
the  people,  for  the  proper  rearing  of  children,  and  for 
the  recreation  of  that  reverence  for  God  and  His  Word 
which  will  give  us  back  the  old-fashioned  American  Sab- 
bath, in  its  truest  and  highest  form,  instead  of  the  "Con- 
tinental Sabbath"  which  has  rapidly  undermined  religion 
in  our  great  cities,  and  is  now  leading  toward  the  moral 
chaos  which  has  wrecked  modern  Europe! 


CHAPTER  XII 

WILL  NEW  YORK  BE  DESTROYED  IF  IT  DOES 

NOT  REPENT?* 

In  His  mercy  and  grace  God  gave  His  prophet,  Jonah, 
a  second  chance,  after  chastening  and  purging  him 
through  suffering,  and  thus  preparing  him  for  his  great 
mission.  And  what  was  the  message  that  the  prophet 
brought  to  the  wicked  city?  It  was  a  message  of  judg- 
ment. In  verse  four  of  the  third  chapter  of  the  story  we 
read :  ''And  Jonah  began  to  enter  into  the  city,  a  day's 
journey,  and  he  cried  and  said,  Yet  forty  days  and 
Nineveh  shall  be  overthrown."  Notice,  too,  that  this 
message  came  from  God.  In  the  second  verse  of  this 
chapter  God  said,  "Arise,  go  unto  Nineveh,  that  great 
city,  and  preach  unto  it  the  preaching  that  I  bid  thee." 

God's  message,  then,  to  the  wicked  city  is  the  message 
of  warning  and  of  impending  doom.  Many  in  this  age 
have  gotten  a  mushy  idea  of  God.  They  seem  to  think 
that  God  is  an  amiable,  easy-going,  spineless  sort  of 
Being,  who  will  wink  at  any  iniquity  rather  than  cause 
any  one  inconvenience  or  trouble.  But  God  is  no  such 
Being  as  they  imagine.  God  is  not  a  good-natured 
grandmother,  pampering  and  spoiling  the  children.  No! 
He  is  the  righteous  Ruler  of  the  universe.  "Shall  not 
the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?"  (Gen.  i8  \2$.)  God's 
government  is  founded  on  morality,  and  therefore  He 
♦This  sermon  was  preached  while  the  war  was  still  in  progress. 

175 


176     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

will  not  wink  at  iniquity,  nor  allow  the  ungodly  to  go  un- 
whipped  of  justice.  There  is  no  message  that  this  easy- 
going age  needs  like  the  message  of  judgment,  and  God's 
true  prophets  need  to  sound  forth  the  warning  loud  and 
clear,  even  as  Jonah  did  to  wicked  Nineveh. 

New  York  does  not  seem  to  realize  the  solemn 
grandeur  of  the  days  in  which  we  live.  When  the  great 
German  drive  was  at  its  height  last  Spring  and  the  out- 
look for  the  Allied  cause  was  dark  in  the  extreme,  Presi- 
dent Wilson,  following  the  example  of  President  Lin- 
coln in  the  supreme  crisis  of  the  Civil  War,  called  for 
a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  victory.  The  annual 
Memorial  Day  was  set  aside  for  that  sacred  purpose.  I 
studied  conditions  in  New  York  that  day,  going  from 
hotel  to  hotel  and  club  to  club,  and  also  making  inquiries, 
as  far  as  I  could,  among  friends  as  to  conditions  in  the 
homes  of  the  people.  It  would  seem  that  instead  of  fast- 
ing that  day  it  was  made  a  day  of  feasting.  The  tables 
were  piled  high  with  luxurious  food,  though  half  the 
world  was  in  the  shadow  of  starvation,  and  I  saw  men 
and  women  in  the  hotels,  cabarets  and  clubs  gorging 
themselves  with  luxurious  viands  and  expensive  drinks. 
The  churches  were  empty  and  deserted,  but  every 
theater  in  the  city  was  packed  to  overflowing.  I  saw 
long  lines  of  people  standing  before  the  box  offices  in 
many  places,  almost  scrambling  for  the  privilege  of 
getting  in.  In  the  world's  greatest  crisis  the  President 
had  called  the  city  to  fasting  and  prayer,  but  instead  of 
that,  New  York,  on  that  sacred  holiday,  seemed  to  have 
turned  out  en  masse  to  giggle  over  "Bing  Bang,"  "The 
Follies,"  'The  Kiss  Burglar,"  "The  Rainbow  Girl,"  "Flo- 
Flo,"  "Rock-a-Bye  Baby"  and  other  rag-time  monstrosi- 
ties that  were  upon  the  boards. 


WILL  NEW  YORK  BE  DESTROYED?    177 

The  following  Sunday  I  put  the  matter  to  the  test  be- 
fore the  congregation  assembled  at  night  in  Calvary 
Church.  There  were  about  1,000  people  present,  and  we 
found  that  there  were  only  six  people  out  oi  the  1,000 
who  could  say  that  they  had  followed  the  President's 
suggestion  and  complied  with  his  request. 

On  that  same  holiday  in  several  places  I  saw  half- 
drunken  men  and  flushed  and  giddy  women  coming  out 
of  the  cabarets,  piling  into  automobiles  and  into  each 
other's  laps  in  positions  of  flagrant  indecency  in  broad 
daylight  on  the  streets  of  the  city. 

GLUTTONY   IN    THE   CABARETS   AND   HOTELS 

Facts  recently  made  public  prove  beyond  dispute  that 
the  people  spent  $7,500,000  in  the  cabarets  of  this  city 
during  one  month,  and  that  in  the  face  of  war  conditions 
and  the  request  of  our  national  administration  that  we 
use  great  economy  and  frugality  in  our  eating  at  the 
present  time.  The  spending  of  that  amount  of  money 
in  a  day  of  war  in  any  such  way  was  a  sinful  and  un- 
patriotic waste,  to  say  the  least  of  it. 

I  attended  a  few  nights  ago  a  banquet  and  entertain- 
ment given  by  the  New  York  society  of  one  of  our 
southern  states,  in  honor  of  the  wounded  soldiers  from 
that  state  who  were  in  the  hospitals  of  New  York.  A 
number  of  these  young  men  who  were  able  to  attend 
were  brought  to  the  banquet  hall,  and  after  the  dinner,  a 
ballet  troupe  of  young  women,  dressed  in  tights,  gave  an 
entertainment.  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  visiting  many 
wounded  soldiers  in  the  hospitals,  and  have  noted  with 
great  joy  the  deep  earnestness  of  spirit  which  these 
young  men,  who  have  faced  death   for  high  ideals  in 


178     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Europe,  are  now  manifesting.  Not  only  their  Chap- 
lains and  other  religious  leaders,  but  the  military  au- 
thorities, from  General  Pershing  down,  have  been  try- 
ing most  earnestly  to  teach  the  men  ideals  of  purity  and 
a  right  attitude  toward  womanhood.  And  yet,  at  this 
home-coming  entertainment,  these  boys,  many  of  whom 
had  come  from  country  homes  in  the  South,  by  arrange- 
ment of  the  committee  in  charge,  were  confronted  by 
this  group  of  young  girls,  painted  and  powdered,  who 
were  paid  so  much  a  head  to  display  their  physical  forms 
in  public.  On  the  other  side,  these  men  were  taught  the 
ideal  of  purity,  but  when  they  landed  here  they  were 
given  a  pagan  and  indecent  show.  That  seems  to  be 
New  York's  idea  of  "a  good  time!" 

THE   DOOM    OF    WICKED    CITIES 

New  York  should  take  these  things  seriously  and 
earnestly  to  heart.  Have  we  stopped  to  think  that  there 
has  never  been  a  Godless  city  in  the  history  of  the  human 
race  that  was  not  eventually  destroyed?  Where  is 
Babylon  with  its  hanging  gardens?  Where  is  Nineveh 
with  its  vaunting  pride?  Where  are  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  with  their  unspeakable  infamies?  Where  are 
Memphis  and  Palmyra  and  Tyre  and  Sidon  with  their 
sins?  They  are  all  heaps  of  dust  to-day!  The  wild 
jackals  make  their  lairs  where  their  magnificence  once 
gleamed  in  the  sunlight.  Why  were  these  great  cities  of 
the  past  destroyed?  Why  is  it  that  the  glory  has  de- 
parted from  the  Attic  plain  and  the  yEgean  shores  ?  Why 
has  the  greatness  of  ancient  Athens  gone  glimmering  like 
a  dream?  How  pathetic  is  its  history!  Once  it  was 
called,  because  of  its  charms,  'The  Eye  of  the  World," 


WILL  NEW  YORK  BE  DESTROYED?    179 

but  its  beauty  has  faded  forever.  Its  temple  of  Theseus 
is  in  ruins.  Its  Parthenon  is  the  home  of  the  bat  and 
the  owl,  and  even  the  tombs  of  its  heroes  are  but  as  the 
dust  which  they  were  vainly  intended  to  commemorate ! 
Why? 

Why  is  it  that  "The  Eternal  City,"  too,  has  fallen,  and 
that  the  glory  of  imperial  Rome  has  perished  from  the 
earth?  Its  Coloseum  is  moldering  away.  The  pathetic 
silence  of  its  forum  is  unbroken  by  the  eager  elo- 
quence of  its  great  orators.  No  triumphal  procession 
passes  along  its  streets.  No  golden  throated  bugle  sounds 
the  thrilling  tocsin  of  war,  and  the  tread  of  the  Rom.an 
legion  shakes  the  earth  no  more  forever!  Why?  Why 
is  it  that  these  majestic  achievements  of  men,  these  great 
cities  of  the  past  ages,  have  been  wiped  literally  from 
the  face  of  the  earth?  There  is  but  one  answer.  It  is 
written:  "The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all 
the  nations  that  forget  God"  (Ex.  9:17).  These  cities 
forgot  God.  In  the  pride  of  their  material  glory,  in 
their  selfishness  and  their  sins  they  turned  away  from 
their  Maker,  and  his  righteous  judgment  and  his  holy 
wrath  turned  against  them. 

WILL   NEW    YORK    BE  DESTROYED? 

You  ask  me  if  I  really  think  that  such  a  fate  as  this 
could  ever  fall  upon  the  great  and  splendid  metropolis 
of  America — our  own  proud  and  beloved  New  York, 
and  I  answer,  yes!  It  not  only  could  fall  upon  New 
York,  but  it  will  fall  upon  it — the  wrath  of  God — unless 
it  also  puts  on  the  sackcloth  of  repentance  and  turns 
from  its  folly  and  its  sins. 

There  never  was  a  moment  in  history  so  solemn  as  the 


i8o     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

present  moment  or  one  more  pregnant  with  eternal  des- 
tiny. Our  easy-going  optimism  will  not  bring  us  by  the 
righteous  wrath  of  a  just  and  holy  God.  Listen !  Two 
days  before  San  Francisco  was  destroyed  an  editorial 
appeared  in  its  leading  newspapers  proudly  pointing  out 
the  greatness  of  that  city  and  the  matchless  promise  of 
its  future.  The  editorial  rehearsed  the  achievements  of 
that  wonderful  metropolis  of  the  far  West;  how  it  had 
come  up  from  small  beginnings  and  gone  on  from 
achievement  to  achievement  until  it  had  taken  its  place 
with  the  great  cities  of  the  world.  And  then  the 
editorial  closed  with  a  reference  to  the  future  and 
said,  ''Nothing  can  now  hold  our  city  back  from  an 
im.mediate  and  matchless  success.'*  Yet  within  forty- 
eight  hours  after  that  prophecy  was  written  San  Fran- 
cisco was  a  pile  of  smoking  ruins — all  of  its  proud  beauty 
leveled  in  the  dust!  I  stood  shortly  afterwards  and 
looked  out  upon  the  miles  of  wreck  and  ruin  where  the 
beautiful  city  had  once  flaunted  its  proud  banners  to  the 
sky,  and  thought  of  that  editorial  and  of  the  Weakness 
and  folly  of  man! 

Was  there  no  connection  between  the  insufferable  wick- 
edness, which  had  become  rampant  in  San  Francisco, 
and  the  doom  that  finally  fell  upon  it?  Political  cor- 
ruption flourished  so  flagrantly  that,  as  shown  later  in 
the  courts,  mayors,  councils  and  legislatures  were  bought 
up  by  graft  money  and  used  as  the  instruments  of  vice 
and  greed  in  the  robbing  of  the  rich  and  the  exploitation 
of  the  poor.  Gambling  flourished  unrestrictedly,  and  the 
seething  immoralities  of  the  ''Barbary  Coast"  smelled  to 
high  heaven.  The  churches  were  all  but  deserted,  and 
the  devil  was  in  the  saddle  in  San  Francisco  more  notori- 
ously than  in  any  city  on  this  continent.     Say  what  you 


WILL  NEW  YORK  BE  DESTROYED?    i8i 

will  about  that  catastrophe,  the  fact  stands  that  San 
Francisco  has  been  subdued  by  sorrow  and  chastened  by- 
suffering,  and  at  least  the  more  glaring  of  its  sins  have 
been  banished  from  its  borders.  It  has  been  rebuilt  in 
greater  splendor  and  cleanness. 

THE  FORCES  OF   VICE 

God's  call  is  coming  now  to  New  York  and  to  all 
America.  He  called  to  us  in  the  sinking  of  the  Titanic, 
and  we  would  not  heed.  He  is  calling  now  in  the  thun- 
ders of  the  world-war.  Shall  we  hear?  Do  we  realize 
the  solemn  grandeur  of  the  days  in  which  we  live?  Do 
we  understand  that  the  destiny  of  the  human  race  for 
hundreds  of  years  to  come  is  now  in  the  balance?  Can 
we  escape,  then,  the  righteous  judgment  of  God  if  in 
this  hour  of  humanity's  Gethsemane  we  here  in  our  great 
American  metropolis  continue  to  live  selfishly  and  upon 
the  glittering  surface  of  things?  Millions  of  our  noble 
men  are  making  every  sacrifice,  even  to  death,  on  the 
sea  and  in  the  trenches.  Dare  we,  then,  here  in  the 
home  land,  luxuriate  in  soft  living,  fancy  food  and  frivo- 
lous amusement,  when  the  breast  of  the  world  is  being 
torn  by  the  arrows  of  war,  and  when  humanity's  heart 
is  bowed  in  grief  and  stricken  with  horror  as  never  be- 
fore in  all  the  tides  of  time?  Is  it  not  a  disgrace  to  us 
that  our  churches,  which  ought  to  be  filled  with  praying 
people,  are  empty,  while  the  playhouses,  night  after  night 
and  Sunday  too,  are  packed  to  suffocation,  vice  flaunts  its 
hideous  form  upon  our  streets,  the  dance  halls  are  over- 
crowded, God's  holy  day  is  despised  and  violated,  and 
men  and  women  pay  heavy  fees  for  the  mere  privilege  of 


1 82     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

gaining  entrance  into  dives  and  cabarets,  where  they  can 
eat  and  drink  and  dance  the  hours  away  ? 

New  York  in  a  very  true  sense  sets  the  pace  for  all 
America,  and  the  time  has  come  when  New  York  should 
wash  its  garments  and  make  them  clean,  and  purge  its 
borders  of  folly  and  sin,  or  God's  righteous  judgment 
will  surely  fall  upon  it.  May  the  city  heed  God's 
warnings  and  repent  before  it  is  too  late!  May  it  be- 
ware of  false  optimism  and  self-deception!  May  it  take 
to  heart  the  saying,  "Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and 
a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall"  (Prov.  16-18).  May  its 
people  not  be  numbered  with  those  of  whom  Paul  said : 
"When  they  shall  say  peace  and  safety,  sudden  destruc- 
tion Cometh  upon  them,  as  travail  upon  a  woman  with 
child,  and  they  shall  not  escape"  (i  Thess.  5:3).  May 
it  heed  the  terrible  words  of  Jesus  Christ  when  he  said, 
"Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish"  (Luke 
13:3)  ;  and  that  other  even  sterner  saying,  "He  that  be- 
ing often  reproved  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be 
destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy"   (Prov.  29:1). 

god's  pleading  with  the  city 

God  does  not  threaten  either  a  city  or  an  individual  in 
the  sense  of  bullying,  but  he  does  in  faithfulness  warn, 
and  then  in  fidelity  punish,  when  the  warning  is  not 
heeded,  and  his  holy  laws  are  disregarded.  Europe  had 
an  opportunity  to  walk  in  paths  of  true  progress  and 
righteousness,  but  Europe  chose  the  other  path  that  led 
away  from  God,  and  is  suffering  now  the  consequences 
of  its  own  folly  and  sin. 

This  is  a  day  of  judgment  upon  a  wicked  world;  and 
New  York  will  have  to  pay  for  its  lightness,  its  frivolity 


WILL  NEW  YORK  BE  DESTROYED?    183 

and  its  sins.  Gcxi  is  still  in  the  stage  of  warning  and 
pleading  with  her.  Jesus  wept  over  sinful  Jerusalem, 
and  exclaimed:  ''Oh,  Jerusalem!  Jerusalem!  Thou  that 
killest  the  prophets  and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto 
thee,  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  to- 
gether, even  as  a  hen  gathers  her  chickens  under  her 
wings,  and  ye  would  not?  Behold  your  house  is  left  unto 
you  desolate!'*  (Matt.  13:37-38.)  He  prophesied  that 
Jerusalem  would  be  destroyed  because  of  its  sins,  and  his 
prophecy  was  literally  fulfilled. 

NEW  YORK   LEADING  IN  EVERYTHING  BUT   MORALS 

Oh,  that  we  might  see  this  great  metropolis  of  ours 
turning  to  God  in  sincerity !  Why  is  it  that  New  York 
leads  America  in  everything  except  morals?  It  leads  in 
commerce.  It  leads  in  art  and  literature.  It  leads  in  fi- 
nances. It  leads  in  education.  But  its  worldliness,  vice  and 
intemperance  are  a  fearfully  bad  example  to  all  the  Na- 
tion. In  the  great  moral  movements  of  recent  years  it  has 
too  often  been  a  laggard  and  not  a  leader.  More  than  a 
dozen  of  our  American  states  have  ratified  the  federal 
prohibition  amendment.  Why  has  New  York  been  the 
great  shining  exception  by  its  refusal  to  ratify?  Would 
to  God  that  our  pulpits  and  our  press  might  lead  it  into 
paths  of  purity  and  spiritual  power,  so  that  its  noble  life 
would  not  only  safeguard  the  growing  generation  within 
its  own  gates,  but  would  become  an  example  of  right- 
eousness and  Godly  power  to  all  America  and  the  world ! 

GOD  HAS  A  SON  IN  THE  WAR 

I  Speak  thus  earnestly  of  these  practical  things  be- 
cause at  last  the  practical  things  have  a  vital  influence 


1 84     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

upon  all  our  religious  interests.  A  little  boy  was  walking 
out  a  while  ago  with  his  father.  It  was  the  beauti- 
ful sunset  hour.  Against  the  soft  red  of  the  afterglow 
in  the  sky,  one  star  began  to  shine,  increasing  in  luster 
until  it  gleamed  in  golden  glory.  The  little  lad  noticed 
it  and  exclaimed :  "Look,  father !  God  is  hanging  out  his 
service  flag.     He  must  have  a  son  in  the  war." 

Yes,  God  has  a  Son  in  the  war!  Christ  is  bleeding 
again  on  every  battlefield  of  Europe.  The  greatest  stakes 
at  last  in  the  war  are  the  interests  of  His  kingdom.  Un- 
less that  is  prospered  and  advanced  by  the  war,  all  our 
material  and  intellectual  victories  will  be  of  little  avail! 
Let  us  help  Christ  gain  the  full  fruitage  from  victory  in 
the  war  by  cleaning  up  New  York,  that  it  may  lead  this 
Nation  into  paths  of  purity  and  power! 


CHAPTER  XIII 

JUDGMENT    BECAUSE    OF    PAGAN    NEW   YEAR 
AND  PEACE  CELEBRATIONS 

Sometimes  it  is  asked,  "Will  there  really  be  a  Judg- 
ment Day,  as  the  Bible  pictures  it?"  Can  we  doubt  it 
for  a  moment?  The  fact  of  judgment  runs  through  the 
whole  creation.     Thomas  Jefferson  said : 

"A  man  passes  for  what  he  is  worth.  Very  idle  is  all 
curiosity  of  other  people's  estimate  of  us,  and  idle  is  all 
fear  of  remaining  unknown.  The  world  is  full  of  judg- 
ment days,  and  in  every  assembly  that  a  man  enters,  in 
every  action  that  he  attempts,  he  is  gauged  and  stamped." 

We  find  this  truth  everywhere.  The  farmer  can  idle 
in  the  spring  of  the  year.  He  can  sit  around  spinning 
yarns  and  smoking  his  pipe,  and  pass  by  in  forgetfulness 
and  neglect  the  seed  time;  but  there  is  coming  for  him 
a  judgment  day  in  the  fall,  when  there  will  be  no  har- 
vest, no  food  for  his  family  and  no  provender  for  his 
stock.  He  reaps  there  only  the  results  of  his  own  folly. 
The  merchant  can  be  careless  about  his  accounts  and 
negligent  of  his  business,  but  for  him  there  comes  a  judg- 
ment day,  when  the  sheriff  shall  nail  his  notice  to  his 
door  and  close  up  the  business.  The  student  in  college 
can  idle  along  and  neglect  his  studies,  and  spend  his 
father's  money  in  high  living,  and  for  a  while  he  can 
get  by  with  this.     He  can  bluff  out  some  sort  of  show- 

185 


1 86     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ing  in  the  classroom,  but  there  comes  for  him  at  last  a 
judgment  day.  The  examination  period  arrives,  and  it 
is  disclosed  then,  to  professors  and  students  alike,  that 
he  knows  nothing,  and  judgment  is  passed  upon  him. 

It  is  ever  as  Jefferson  says,  "The  world  is  full  of  judg- 
ment days."  Must  we  not  have,  then,  a  final  judgment? 
Because  this  is  a  moral  universe  ruled  by  a  righteous 
God,  and  because  we  are  free  and  responsible  moral 
agents,  therefore,  the  thought  of  a  final  great  assize,  in 
which  personally  and  inciividually  we  will  be  judged  and 
our  lives  will  be  passed  upon,  for  weal  or  woe,  is  inevita- 
bly and  eternally  true! 

THE  BIBLE  TEACHING 

The  Bible  teaching  upon  this  great  theme  is  that  the 
judgment  will  not  occur  upon  a  single  day,  as  some  have 
supposed.  It  extends  over  a  long  period  of  time.  Yet, 
in  a  very  true  sense,  it  is  nevertheless  one  event  because, 
although  stretching  over  years,  it  is  that  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world  during  which  all  the  children  of  earth 
will  finally  stand  before  the  judgment  bar  of  God.  There 
are  a  number  of  expressions  in  the  Bible  designating  that 
great  and  awful  time.  It  is  called  ''the  day  of  judg- 
ment" ;  ''the  day  of  the  Lord" ;  "the  last  day" ;  "the  great 
day";  and  sometimes  simply  "the  day."  It  will  be  the 
time  of  "the  vindication  of  Jehovah."  Because  of  God's 
patience,  and  the  fact  that  human  destiny  is  being  worked 
out  under  forms  of  free  will,  things  have  occurred  all 
through  history  which  seem  to  reflect  either  on  the  holi- 
ness or  the  power  of  God.  The  question  often  arises, 
in  the  face  of  terrible  events,  "If  God  is  good  and  all- 
powerful,  why  does  He  permit  this?"     But  the  time  is 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    187 

coming  when  God  will  no  longer  restrain  Himself.  The 
day  of  mercy  will  end  and  the  day  of  wrath  in  all  its 
fullness  will  come  in,  in  which  both  God's  righteousness 
and  power  will  be  vindicated  before  the  whole  earth. 

The  object  of  this  entire  period  of  judgment  is  not 
only  to  render  justice  but  to  finally  purge  the  earth  of  all 
unrighteousness  and  to  restore  purity  and  peace,  as  God 
originally  planned  when  He  created  man  and  put  him 
into  the  Garden  of  Eden.  The  judgment,  therefore,  is 
not  merely  a  day  of  wrath  and  of  the  vindication  of 
righteousness  and  justice,  but  its  supreme  aim  is  the 
transformation  of  all  things  from  a  condition  of  sin, 
disease,  and  death  into  a  condition  of  universal  holiness, 
health  and  happiness. 

When  I  was  a  child  I  used  to  wonder  about  the  judg- 
ment "books."  In  imagination,  I  saw  a  great  ledger, 
one  page  for  the  record  of  our  sins  and  the  opposite  page 
for  the  record  of  our  virtues  and  good  deeds;  and  I 
thought  that  God  at  the  judgment  would  simply  balance 
the  books,  and  give  us  our  award  according  to  whether 
the  majority  of  our  deeds  was  upon  the  credit  or  the 
debit  side.  I  no  longer  think  of  it  in  that  childish  way, 
and  yet  there  will  be  a  judgment  book.  It  will  be  the 
human  race,  and  each  life  will  be  a  page.  You,  my 
friend,  are  a  leaf  in  the  ledger  of  God !  And  how  very 
easy  it  will  be  for  the  all-seeing  eye  of  the  Judge  to 
read  the  record!  Either  the  page  will  be  washed  clean 
by  the  blood  of  Christ,  or  else  it  will  be  black  and  foul 
with  the  stains  of  unforgiven,  unatoned-for  sin!  Well 
did  even  such  a  man  as  Elbert  Hubbard  say  before  his 
death : 

"Man  is  a  tablet  upon  which  is  written  his  every  word 
and  thought  and  deed.    He  is  the  record  of  himself.    The 


1 88      THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

record  is  the  man,  and  the  man  is  the  record.  It  will  be 
easy  to  reckon  accounts  at  the  Last  Great  Day.  The  Judge 
will  only  have  to  unfold  the  heart  and  look :  All  is  graven 
there, — nothing  was  ever  hidden,  nor  can  it  be.  *God  is 
not  mocked/  *' 

IS  NEW  YORK  RIPE  FOR  JUDGMENT? 

Ours  is  an  easy-going  and  optimistic  age.  We  do  not 
like  to  be  disturbed  with  unpleasant  thoughts,  and  yet 
if  we  are  wise  men  and  women,  we  will  give  due  con- 
sideration to  these  things,  in  the  light  of  the  tre- 
mendous times  in  which  we  live.  There  has  never  been 
such  a  day  as  this  before  in  the  world's  history.  This 
is  a  time  already  of  judgment  upon  a  wicked  world.  The 
whole  world  is  now  standing  in  the  shadow  of  anarchy 
and  starvation.  Unless  we  repent  and  turn  to  God,  we 
will  have  to  pay  the  price  of  our  folly  and  sins.  And 
New  York,  let  us  understand,  is  no  exception  to  these 
great  truths  of  God.  Though  she  exalt  herself  to  the 
very  heavens,  she  shall  be  laid  low,  unless  she  repents 
and  turns  from  her  wicked  ways.  We  have  become  so 
vain  to-day  over  our  scientific  achievements  and  educa- 
tion and  all  that,  that  we  have  tended  to  condescend  even 
to  God.  We  tend  to  look  down  upon  Him  from  our 
lordly  human  heights.  But  what  folly  it  is!  "He  who 
sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh!"  May  He  not  laugh 
at  us !  And  let  us  well  know  that  God's  arm  is  not  short- 
ened and  that  He  has  the  means,  even  of  temporal  judg- 
ment, in  His  almighty  hands.  •  Have  you  ever  thought 
of  what  a  good  husky  tidal  wave  would  do  to  "little  Old 
New  York,"  as  we  call  her?  Have  you  ever  imagined 
the  Woolworth  "sky-scraper'*  butting  headlong  into  the 
Equitable    Building,    through    such    an    earthquake    as 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    189 

that  which  laid  San  Francisco's  proud  beauty  in  the 
dust  ?  Have  you  ever  imagined  the  MetropoHtan  Tower 
crashing  over  on  Madison  Square  Garden  some  time, 
when  there  were  tens  of  thousands  of  people  in  there  at 
some  worldly,  godless  celebration  on  the  Lord's  Day? 

Ah  yes,  don't  worry  about  God's  not  having  the  means 
for  judgment,  even  in  this  world!  We  did  not  take 
very  much  to  heart  His  warning  given  us  through  the 
great  war,  and  here  came  along  a  new,  mysterious  dis- 
ease— the  Influenza — ^that  baffled  all  the  doctors  and  then 
swept  away  more  of  our  people  than  were  lost  in  the 
war !  We  got  off  too  lightly  from  the  war  here  in  Amer- 
ica, and  if  we  don't  mend  our  ways  some  other  judgment 
will  fall  upon  us. 

UNPOPULAR  PREACHING  NEEDED 

One  trouble  with  New  York  is  that  you  are  too  much 
pleased  with  your  preachers.  You  have  said  to  them, 
like  the  people  in  the  old  Bible  day,  "Prophesy  unto  us 
smooth  things,"  and  they  have  done  it.  Many  of  the 
preachers  themselves  have  lost  their  grip  on  God's  truth 
because  of  the  materialistic  and  skeptical  philosophy  of 
the  age.  They  have  compromised  with  the  world.  They 
have  cut  the  Bible  up  into  fragments  with  their  "crit- 
icism," and  they  are  giving  to  the  people  a  cold  hash  of 
question  marks  and  doubts,  instead  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  They  are  giving  them  fancy  little  sermonettes 
on  a  hundred  foolish  fads,  instead  of  the  true  and  holy 
Word  of  God! 

You  say  that  you  do  not  believe  in  the  appeal  to  fear, 
and  that  you  do  not  care  for  Puritanism;  but  we  had 
better  fear  God,  my  friends,  than  fall  into  hell  through 


190     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

our  folly  and  false  optimism;  and  we  had  better  have 
some  of  the  old  time  Puritanism  that  made  our  fathers 
great  and  our  mothers  good,  rather  than  the  hell-bom 
impuritanism  that  is  wrecking  our  modern  life! 

I  mean  no  unkindness  and  no  uncharitableness  when 
I  ask:  Are  the  preachers  of  New  York  asleep?  Why  do 
we  not  hear  their  voices  thundering  from  their  pulpits 
against  the  wrongs  of  to-day,  and  warning  the  people 
against  judgment  to  come?  In  such  times  as  these,  with 
the  mighty  world-wide  issues  at  stake  in  the  conditions 
of  to-day,  the  preacher  who  is  content  to  drivel  along 
with  his  smug  aloofness  and  his  pious  platitudes,  and  to 
come  to  the  presence  of  his  Maker  at  last  with  only  the 
record  of  having  pleased  a  few  well-to-do  people  and  built 
up  a  good  "golf"  score  will  deserve  the  scorn  of  men 
and  the  wrath  of  God ! 

PAGAN  PEACE  CELEBRATIONS 

No  thoughtful  man  who  has  the  courage  to  speak  his 
convictions  can  look  at  conditions  here  in  New  York 
without  feeling  that  judgment  is  laid  up  for  thig  city 
unless  she  turns  away  from  her  wicked  ways. 

We  have  got  to  face  the  fact  that  such  celebrations  as 
have  been  recently  held  in  this  city  are  pagan  to  the  core. 
They  are  from  hell  and  not  from  heaven.  What  thought- 
ful eye  could  look  upon  the  scenes  that  we  witnessed  upon 
the  streets  of  New  York  during  the  peace  celebration,  for 
example,  without  profound  sorrow  and  grave  apprehen- 
sions for  the  future  ?  When  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
the  people  in  this  city  took  the  peace  celebration  simply  as 
an  occasion  for  breaking  all  of  the  bounds  of  propriety, 
it  should  have  caused  the  custodians  of  the  moral  life  of 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    191 

this  city  to  earnestly  protest;  and  yet  not  one  word  did 
we  hear  from  pulpit  or  press  in  condemnation.  All  up 
and  down  our  streets  we  saw  girls  still  in  short  dresses — 
girls  in  their  teens — trooping  along  with  the  arms  of 
men  around  their  waists.  We  saw  men  and  women,  in- 
cluding these  very  young  girls,  hugging  and  kissing  each 
other  upon  the  streets  of  our  city,  often  in  postures  that 
were  disgraceful.  And  this  was  not  simply  a  few  scat- 
tered cases  of  girls  kissing  soldiers  and  sailors.  The 
night  of  the  great  peace  celebration  the  highways  were 
full  of  such  incidents  from  block  to  block,  and  it  is  said 
that  there  was  open  shame  upon  our  streets.  Is  New 
York  a  Christian  city,  or  a  pagan  city?  From  such 
things  as  these  we  must  conclude  that  she  is  the  latter. 

And  now,  on  the  past  New  Year's  night,  the  climax  in 
our  American  celebration  of  victory  and  peace  was 
reached.  And  how  was  it  reached  ?  Not  as  a  Godly  peo- 
ple should  have  reached  such  a  climax — with  songs  and 
prayers  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  deliverance — but  the 
climax  was  reached  in  a  wild  orgy  of  eating  and  drink- 
ing and  evil  indulgence,  in  which  millions  of  dollars,  in 
aggregate,  were  poured  out  in  riotous  living. 

Would  we  not  think  that  a  truly  Christian  people 
would  have  celebrated  in  a  very  different  way  from  this  ? 
Time  is  one  of  God's  greatest  and  most  sacred  gifts  to 
man.  In  it  and  by  it  we  live  and  grow,  and  through  It 
we  have  our  opportunity  to  serve,  and  to  strive  to  leave 
the  world  a  better  place  in  which  to  live  before  we  pass 
from  the  stage  of  action  and  make  place  for  another  gen- 
eration. To  welcome  a  New  Year  of  time,  therefore,  we 
ought  to  have  not  only  the  spirit  of  joyful  gladness,  but  of 
deep  and  earnest  purpose  and  prayer,  and  especially  should 
this  be  true  of  the  year  following  the  great  war. 


192     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

THE  MAYOR^S  NEW  YEAR  PROCLAMATION 

There  never  was  a  moment  in  history  so  solemn  as 
the  present  moment,  or  one  more  pregnant  with  eternal 
destiny.  Ten  millions  of  human  beings  have  just  been 
destroyed  in  this  war.  They  have  been  gassed  and  hacked 
and  blown  to  pieces,  and  their  bodies  are  now  rotting  in 
the  depths  of  the  earth  or  under  the  sea.  Ten  million 
homes  are  in  mourning.  We  are  standing  in  the  shadow 
of  ten  million  human  graves,  and  the  darker  shadow  of 
universal  hunger  and  anarchy  hangs  over  the  earth.  But 
in  the  face  of  all  this,  how  did  we  celebrate  God*s  gift 
of  a  new  year  of  time — with  its  sacred  opportunity  for 
life  and  service  to  the  race?  We  celebrated  it  by  gorg- 
ing ourselves  with  food,  getting  drunk,  and  going  on  a 
carouse! 

That  seemed  to  be  what  was  officially  expected  of  us, 
because  our  Mayor  not  only  extended  the  saloon  licenses 
so  that  liquor  could  be  sold  until  2  130  in  the  morning — 
and  that  really  meant  all  night  in  many  places — ^but  in 
announcing  this  extension  he  practically  invited  the  city 
to  go  on  a  drunk.  I  do  not  wish  to  criticize  our  Mayor 
unduly,  because  he  has  enough  trouble  just  at  this  time 
without  the  preachers  jumping  on  him;  and  yet  surely 
something  ought  to  be  said  about  his  announcement  in 
connection  with  the  New  Year  celebration.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  statement  that  the  saloons  could  stay  open 
he  said: 

"This  is  an  unusual  j^^ear.  There  never  has  been  such 
a  time  for  celebration  as  this  year.  The  end  of  the  war 
and  the  fact  that  the  country  is  in  such  shape,  and  condi- 
tions are  improving  is  sufficient  reason  for  making  an 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    193 

exception  this  year.     We  can't  bottle  up  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  people  this  year." 

In  other  words,  he  practically  gave  the  official  O.K. 
to  the  city's  getting  drunk.  He  opened  the  saloons  and 
then  gave  our  youth  carte  blanche  to  "go  the  limit."  And 
they  went  the  limit.  Rome  in  her  palmiest  days  of  de- 
generation did  not  see  sights  worse  than  could  be  seen 
in  New  York  and  other  large  cities  on  that  night.  I 
speak  in  the  light  not  only  of  what  I  have  seen  personally, 
but  what  has  been  told  me  by  reliable  friends  at  first- 
hand. The  scenes  of  eating,  drinking  and  dancing,  the 
cases  where  girls  got  so  drunk  that  they  slipped  down 
under  the  tables,  out  of  the  chairs ;  cases  where  army  of- 
ficers, in  the  wild  delirium  of  dance  and  drink,  threw  girls 
on  their  shoulders,  and  went  careering  around  the  room 
with  them,  making  an  indecent  display, — these  things 
constitute  the  danger  signals  of  precisely  the  conditions 
that  destroyed  all  of  the  other  great  civilizations  of  the 
past.  While  they  are  not  universal,  thank  God,  in  our 
country,  our  great  cities  nevertheless  "set  the  pace,"  and 
these  things  are  symptomatic  of  tendencies  throughout 
our  country. 

When  the  news  came  to  London  that  the  war  was  over, 
Lloyd  George  immediately  had  Parliament  adjourn  so 
that  they  could  go  in  a  body  to  Westminster  Abbey  for 
praise  and  prayer.  What  a  contrast  with  this,  when  our 
Mayor  not  only  threw  open  the  saloons  but  practically 
said  to  the  youth  of  our  city,  "Go  to  it!" 

PAINTED  WOMEN  AND  DRINK 

These  things  mean  judgment  upon  us.  When  we  stop 
to  think  of  it  seriously,  ought  God  to  pass  by  such  things? 


194     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

If  He  is  really  God,  then  ought  He  not  to  pass  judgment? 

When  he  looked  down  upon  New  York  on  New  Year's 
night  what  did  He  see?  The  churches  full  of  grateful 
people,  upon  their  knees  thanking  Him  for  peace  and 
blessings  brought  during  the  old  year,  and  asking  Him 
for  guidance  and  grace  to  live  the  New  Year  aright? 
No,  He  did  not  see  that !  He  looked  down  and  saw  the 
churches  closed  and  dark,  and  in  the  few  that  were  open, 
little  handfuls  of  people.  He  looked  down  and  saw 
the  theaters  packed  to  the  doors  by  people,  some  of  whom 
had  paid  as  high  as  ten  dollars  each  to  get  in  and  have 
the  privilege  of  gazing  at  pink  tights,  and  applauding 
salacious  jokes!  God  looked  down  and  saw  the  hotels 
and  cabarets  jammed  with  people,  spending  on  an  av- 
erage of  ten  dollars  each,  to  eat  and  drink  and  dance  and 
watch  silly  women  kick  up  their  heels.  Instead  of  see- 
ing the  homes  of  New  York  with  mothers  and  fathers 
and  children  around  the  fireside  praying,  as  in  the  olden 
days,  or  gathered  around  the  piano  with  friends,  sing- 
ing the  pure,  sweet  old  songs  of  the  past,  God  looked 
down  and  saw  dogs  in  the  cradles  where  babies  ought  to 
be,  the  homes  empty,  and  the  places  of  resort  filled  with 
thoughtless  men  and  painted  women  and  girls,  many  of 
them  only  about  half  dressed,  smoking  cigarettes  and 
drinking  cocktails! 

My  God,  oh,  men  and  women,  how  far  we  have  gotten 
on  the  road  toward  hell  here  in  this  great  metropolis  of 
America!  The  very  advertisements  in  the  papers  were 
suggestive  and  shocking  on  New  Year's  Eve,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  performances  which  were  given  in  hotels, 
cabarets  and  theaters.  And  what  God  saw  as  He  looked 
down  into  the  saloons  and  the  resorts  of  vice,  and  the 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    195 

homes  where  sensuality  reigns,  only  He  Himself  could 
tell! 

We  will  have  to  answer  to  Him  at  the  judgment  for 
all  of  these  things.  What  are  the  mothers  and  fathers 
of  this  city,  who  allow  their  young  daughters  to  go  to 
the  hotels  and  cabarets,  and  often  to  get  drunk  there, 
going  to  say  about  it?  Do  these  parents  of  New  York 
imagine  for  a  moment  that  they  will  escape  the  judgment 
of  God  for  the  awful  neglect  of  their  children? 

RICH  GOADING  THE  POOR  TO  REVOLT 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  folly  of  the  rich  and 
well-to-do  elements  in  New  York's  population,  that  in 
such  times  as  these  would  give  to  this  city  and  country 
such  an  exhibition  as  this  celebration  on  New  Year's 
night?  Some  time  ago  facts  were  brought  out  before 
our  Board  of  Aldermen  showing  that  in  one  month  $7,- 
500,000  were  spent  in  the  cabarets  of  New  York.  What, 
then,  must  have  been  the  sum  spent  on  New  Year's  night 
in  this  riot  of  drunkenness  and  gluttony,  to  celebrate 
God's  gift  of  a  new  year  of  time  to  the  race?  Unless 
the  rich  and  well-to-do  elements  in  our  country  awake 
from  their  vain  dreaming  and  face  facts  as  they  are, 
and  unless  they  develop  some  sense  of  social  responsi- 
bility, nothing  under  heaven  can  keep  back  trouble  from 
America.  Hell  has  broken  loose  in  Russia,  primarily 
because  the  rich  and  aristocratic  elements  of  that  coun- 
try for  centuries  ground  down  and  exploited  the  igno- 
rant, helpless  masses,  and  set  before  them,  not  the  ex- 
ample of  brotherhood  and  helpfulness,  but  the  example 
of  heartless  cruelty,  and  just  such  riotous  living  as  we 
are  seeing  here  in  our  own  beloved  land. 


196     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

Some  of  the  wisest  minds  of  our  country  to-day  are 
warning  our  people  against  these  dangers,  and  yet  they 
still  rush  heedlessly  and  thoughtlessly  on.  The  great  so- 
cial chasm  between  the  very  rich  and  the  very  poor  is 
widening  every  day,  and  such  idle  feasting  and  such 
waste  of  money  as  New  York  saw  on  New  Year's  Eve, 
while  there  are  multitudes  of  the  poor  in  our  city  under- 
fed and  scantily  clad,  and  miserably  housed,  does  not 
make  for  social  peace  and  brotherhood;  rather  it  makes 
for  the  growth  of  enmity  and  strife.  We  must  give 
heed  to  these  things  and  learn  to  do  justly,  love  mercy 
and  walk  humbly  with  our  God  if  we  expect  to  save  the 
world  from  industrial  autocracy  and  plutocracy  on  the 
one  hand,  or  anarchy  and  Bolshevism  on  the  other.  Oh, 
that  we  may  heed  the  warning  that  God  gives !  For  if 
we  do  not,  judgment  will  surely  fall  to  the  line  and  right- 
eousness to  the  plummet,  and  the  price  of  injustice  and 
folly  will  have  to  be  paid  to  the  full. 

THE  CHURCHES  SITTING  AT  EASE 

In  the  midst  of  these  conditions,  so  pregnant  with  dan- 
ger and  woe,  what  are  the  churches  of  the  living  God 
doing?  Is  not  the  indifference  within  the  ranks  of  the 
Christian  people  appalling?  The  modem  church  has  let 
the  millions  of  the  laboring  people  drift  almost  complete- 
ly away.  Great  numbers  of  our  Protestant  churches  in 
New  York  close  their  doors  for  three  or  four  months  of 
the  year;  and  even  in  the  height  of  the  winter  season, 
where  do  we  see  the  churches  sounding  the  call  of  God 
clear  and  strong,  and  reaching  out  their  loving  hands  to 
all  the  people,  really  to  help  them  and  to  lift  them  up? 
The  ringing  words  of  the  late  Bishop  Potter,  at  the  dedi- 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    197 

cation  of  Grace  Chapel  in  this  city,  apply  not  only  to  his 
own  church,  but  to  all  God's  people.    He  said : 

"The  growth  of  wealth  and  of  luxury,  wicked,  waste- 
ful and  wanton,  as  before  God  I  declare  that  luxury  to 
be,  has  been  matched  step  by  step  by  a  deepening  and 
deadening  poverty  which  has  left  whole  neighborhoods 
of  people  practically  without  hope  and  without  aspiration. 
At  such  a  time,  for  the  church  of  God  to  sit  still  and  be 
content  with  theories  of  its  duty  outlawed  by  time  and 
long  ago  demonstrated  to  be  grotesquely  inadequate  to 
the  demands  of  a  living  situation,  this  is  to  deserve  the 
scorn  of  men  and  the  curse  of  God.  Take  my  word  for 
it,  men  and  brethren,  unless  you  and  I,  and  all  those  who 
have  any  gift  of  stewardship  of  talents,  or  means  of 
whatsoever  sort,  are  willing  to  get  up  out  of  our  sloth 
and  ease  and  selfish  dilettantism  of  service,  and  get  down 
among  the  people  who  are  battling  amid  their  poverty  and 
ignorance — young  girls  for  their  chastity,  young  men 
for  their  better  ideal  of  righteousness,  old  and  young 
alike  for  one  clear  ray  of  the  immortal  courage  and  the 
immortal  hope,  then  verily  the  church, — in  its  stately 
splendor,  its  apostolic  orders,  its  venerable  ritual,  its 
decorous  and  dignified  conventions, — is  revealed  as  sim- 
ply a  monstrous  and  insolent  impertinence!" 

Nor  can  we  ease  our  conscience  by  "charity."  A  lit- 
tle charity  at  Christmas,  and  in  times  of  epidemic  can- 
not cover  the  multitude  of  our  social  sins.  Philanthropy 
cannot  make  amends  for  social  injustice  and  economic 
wrongs.  More  than  anywhere  else  upon  this  continent 
the  churches  in  New  York  seem  to  be  "sitting  at  ease  in 
Zion,"  while  the  very  fires  of  hell  are  crackling  just  be- 
neath the  city.  With  evidences  of  appalling  sin  upon 
every  side,  the  church  is  playing  with  the  great  tasks  of 
the  kingdom. 


198     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

history's  vindication  of  judgment 

All  history  proves  the  truth  of  Judgment.  It  applies 
to  the  individual.  When  the  late  Emperor  Francis  Joseph 
was  a  young  man,  it  is  said  that  he  committed  a  dastardly 
wrong  that  affected  one  of  the  families  in  his  kingdom. 
A  woman  belonging  to  that  family  cursed  him  for  this 
deed  and  predicted  that  God  would  follow  him  and  his 
faniily  with  vengeance.  How  well  that  curse  and  proph- 
ecy were  realized,  history  tells  us  in  the  strange  and 
tragic  story  of  Joseph's  family  in  all  the  after  years.  It 
seemed,  indeed,  that  the  very  curse  of  God  rested  upon 
him  and  his  house. 

The  house  of  Valois  perpetrated  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew  and  then  vengeance  was  visited  upon  them 
and  they  were  destroyed.  The  Bourbons  drove  out  the 
Huguenots,  but  were  themselves  destroyed  in  the  useless 
wars  of  Louis  XIV  and  XV.  Napoleon  violated  the 
eternal  principles  of  righteousness,  but  began  to  pay  for 
his  crimes  even  in  this  world,  on  St.  Helena's  lonely  isle ! 

Modern  history,  and  the  things  which  are  occurring 
before  our  very  eyes,  are  teaching  us  the  same  lessons. 
Dr.  Andrew  D.  White  was  ambassador  to  Russia  when 
the  late  Czar  Nicholas  was  a  young  man.  He  saw  the 
brutal  attack  on  Finland's  liberty,  the  violation  of  the 
pledge  of  autonomy  given  it,  and  the  destruction  of  its 
Constitution.  Dr.  White,  in  his  autobiography,  refers 
to  Russia's  treatment  of  Finland  as  ''the  saddest  specta- 
cle of  our  time,"  and  puts  on  record  this  prediction: 

"I  put  on  record  here  the  prophecy  that  his  dynasty, 
if  not  himself,  will  be  punished  for  it.  All  history  shows 
that  no  such  crime  has  gone  unpunished.  It  is  a  far 
greater  crime  that  the  partition  of  Poland;  for  Poland 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    199 

had  brought  her  fate  on  herself,  while  Finland  had  been 
the  most  loyal  part  of  the  Empire.  Not  even  Moscow 
herself  has  been  more  thoroughly  devoted  to  Russia  and 
the  reigning  dynasty.  The  young  monarch  whose  weak- 
ness has  led  to  this  fearful  result  will  bring  retribution 
upon  himself  and  those  who  follow  him.  The  Romanoffs 
will  yet  find  that  there  is  a  power  in  the  universe,  not 
ourselves,  which  makes  for  righteousness.  The  punish- 
ment to  be  meted  out  to  Nicholas  and  his  house  is  sure.'* 


Time  has  brought  this  forecast  true  to  the  letter. 

A  generation  and  a  half  ago,  the  rulers  of  Germany, 
through  stealth  and  deceit,  crept  up  and  then  sprang  at 
the  throat  of  unsuspecting  France,  overpowered  her,  and 
robbed  her  of  her  fair  provinces  of  Alsace-Lorraine.  To 
protect  these  ill-gotten  gains,  they  then  built  up  the  most 
powerful  military  machine  ever  organized  on  earth.  They 
filled  the  Empire  from  end  to  end  with  supplies  and  muni- 
tions of  war,  and  planned  and  schemed  to  overrun,  when 
their  time  was  ripe,  the  other  nations  of  the  earth  and 
to  dominate  the  whole  world.  Behold  Germany  now, 
prostrate  in  the  dust  of  defeat  and  tottering  upon  the 
brink  of  eternal  ruin!  Behold  her  vain  and  pompous 
war  Lord — he  who  would  have  ruled  the  earth — literally 
now  a  "man  without  a  country  !'*  Instead  of  his  vaunted 
"place  in  the  sun,"  he  will  be  fortunate  if  he  does  not 
find  a  place  against  a  brick  wall  before  a  firing  squad, 
or  a  place  at  the  end  of  a  hangman's  rope ! 

We  need  to  fear  God  to-day.  This  age  is  living  too 
fast,  and  we  will  have  to  answer  to  God  for  it  all.  "Dost 
thou  not  fear  God,"  O  man,  in  your  sins?  There  is  no 
more  terrible  picture  in  all  Scripture  than  the  picture  of 
the  Great  White  Throne  and  Him  that  sat  on  it,  "from 
whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heavens  fled  away."    There 


200     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

is  here  no  faintest  suggestion  of  mercy;  for  in  that  judg- 
ment time,  the  day  of  mercy  will  be  over.  There  is  here 
only  the  suggestion  of  the  austerity  of  divine  Justice 
and  eternal  Holiness,  in  whose  awful  presence  no  evil 
thing  can  stand  but  from  whom,  even  earth  and  heaven 
flee  away  in  fear.  • 

In  one  of  the  western  states  several  years  ago  a  great 
convention  came  to  its  close.  There  was  a  special  train 
rushing  back  toward  the  East  crowded  with  the  dele- 
gates who  had  attended  the  convention.  The  conductor 
of  this  train  was  a  man  of  high  temper  and  of  selfish 
nature.  He  reached  a  small  station,  and  received  orders 
from  the  train  dispatcher  to  wait  until  he  was  passed 
by  a  freight  train.  Whether  he  had  been  drinking  or 
whether  he  was  over-wrought  in  nerves,  we  do  not 
know;  but  it  is  said  that  when  he  received  those  orders, 
it  made  him  very  angry.  He  cursed  the  train  dispatcher 
to  himself  for  ordering  him  to  hold  his  passenger  train 
in  order  that  a  freight  might  pass  it;  and  then  he  deter- 
mined that  he  would  risk  the  run  to  the  next  station. 
Without  letting  the  engineer  know  his  orders,  he  gave 
the  signal  to  go  on.  The  engineer  threw  his  hand  upon 
the  throttle,  and  opened  it  up  wider  and  wider,  until  the 
great  engine,  with  its  long  load  of  human  freight  behind 
it,  was  leaping  along  the  shining  rails  like  a  thing  of 
life.  But  suddenly,  in  swinging  around  a  curve,  the  en- 
gineer saw  the  heavy  freight  train  thundering  toward 
him,  and  just  a  little  distance  away.  He  barely  had  time 
to  call  to  his  firemen  to  leap  from  the  cab  for  his  life, 
when  the  two  great  machines  rushed  together  with  a 
noise  that  was  deafening  and  a  crash  that  jarred  the 
ground  on  every  side.  Instantly  there  ensued  a  scene 
of  awful  wreck  and  ruin;  the  two  great  engines  locked 


PAGAN  NEW  YEAR  CELEBRATIONS    201 

together,  one  mass  of  twisted  steel  and  mashed  iron, 
from  which  the  steam  was  hissing  and  screeching;  the 
passenger  coaches  smashed  into  kindling  wood  and  the 
freight  cars  piled  up  on  top  of  them;  and  in  the  midst 
of  it  all  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and  the  stark  faces 
of  the  dead.  And  that  guilty  conductor  sneaked  away 
through  the  woods,  to  be  later  captured  in  a  distant  city 
to  which  he  fled.  But  the  conductor  of  the  freight  train 
walked  among  the  weeping  people,  and  up  and  down 
between  the  rows  of  mutilated  corpses  lying  upon  the 
grass,  going  to  every  one  who  would  stop  to  listen  to 
him,  and  showing  them  the  little  piece  of  yellow  tissue 
paper  with  his  orders  upon  it,  and  saying  through  his 
tears:  "Thank  God  it  is  not  my  fault!  I  obeyed 
orders!  Thank  God  it  is  not  my  fault!  I  obeyed  or- 
ders r 

Oh,  that  all  of  us  can  say  that  on  that  great  and  aw- 
ful day  of  the  searching  of  all  human  hearts,  when  we 
stand  before  the  judgment  bar  of  God  I 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL 

The  fact  of  moral  evil  in  a  world  created  by  a  good 
and  all-powerful  God  is  a  mystery  that  the  mind  of 
mortal  man,  perhaps,  can  never  fully  fathom.  We  see 
that  the  mystery  of  evil  is  connected  with  the  free  agency 
of  man,  because  in  order  to  make  us  men,  instead  of 
mere  automata,  God  of  necessity  had  to  make  us  free. 
The  very  difficulty  of  the  thought  of  evil  in  a  world  so 
made  drives  us  back,  of  necessity,  in  our  thinking  to  the 
idea  of  an  outside  evil  influence.  The  Bible  is  very  clear 
in  its  teaching,  not  only  concerning  the  fact  of  evil  in 
the  world,  but  also  concerning  the  fact  of  the  personality 
of  the  Author  of  evil. 

The  Devil,  we  are  taught,  has  his  henchmen — ^hosts  of 
demons  who  do  his  will  and  who  serve  as  his  instruments 
among  men.  And  we  need  to  take  seriously  to  heart  the 
fact  that  these  are  tremendous  truths  with  which  we 
are  dealing,  and  not  merely  idle  speculations  of  theologi- 
ans. The  Bible  teaches  us  that  the  Devil  can  "array  him- 
self like  an  angel  of  light."  He  comes  in  the  most  plausi- 
ble, ingratiating,  and  seductive  ways.  And  the  grimmest 
piece  of  humor  in  the  history  of  the  world  is  the  fact 
that,  in  this  age  when  the  devil  is  most  active,  there  is 
the  least  belief  even  about  his  reality  and  existence.  The 
Devil  to-day  has  so  transformed  himself  into  an  "angel 
of  light"  and  so  deluded  the  children  of  men,  that  multi- 

202 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL      203 

tudes  who  pride  themselves  upon  the  fact  that  they  are 
highly  enlightened,  do  not  even  believe  that  there  is  any 
such  being.  There  is  to-day  an  easy-going  philosophy 
abroad  in  the  world,  which  softens  down  all  evil,  which 
minimizes  sin,  and  which  laughs  to  scorn  the  thought 
that  there  is  a  personal  Devil.  We  are  taught  that  under 
certain  circumstances  God  laughs,  and  surely  if  we  could 
but  see  deeply  enough  behind  the  conditions  of  to-day, 
we  would  behold  the  Devil  laughing  in  fiendish  glee  at 
the  delusion  with  which  he  has  misled  and  through 
which  he  has  destroyed  the  children  of  men. 

THE  DEVIL  AND   THE  WAR 

Surely  the  time  has  come  when  we  need  to  arouse 
ourselves  from  the  delusions  of  this  adversary  of  souls. 
Recent  events  in  connection  with  the  Great  War,  and 
the  conditions  in  the  world  to-day,  prove  the  truthfulness 
of  the  Bible's  teaching  concerning  the  reality  and  dia- 
bolical character  of  the  Devil.  It  is  impossible  even  to 
imagine  the  horror  and  infamy  into  which  humanity  was 
plunged  by  the  war.  We  can  scarcely  believe  the  sicken- 
ing stories  of  shame  and  outrage  and  lust  and  rapine  and 
murder.  It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize,  and  yet  it  is  liter- 
ally true,  that  one  million  Armenians  alone  were  rnassa- 
cred  in  cold  blood.  Not  soldiers,  mind  you;  not  people 
who  were  directly  connected  with  the  great  stakes  in  the 
war,  but  poor,  simple-minded  peasants,  for  the  most  part ; 
old  men  and  little  children  and  tender  women  were  butch- 
ered and  hacked  to  pieces  and  put  upon  boats  which 
were  then  riddled  with  cannon  and  sunk.  They  were 
driven  out  by  the  thousands  to  die  in  the  deserts  and 
mountains.    Little  babies  were  born  amidst  these  horrors 


204     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  died  with  their  mothers,  because  the  feeble  steps 
could  not  keep  up  with  the  procession  that  was  being 
urged  on  by  Turkish  bayonets !  We  have  authentic  rec- 
ords of  cases  where  entire  families  were  shut  up  in  their 
own  homes,  the  houses  were  fired,  and  when  some  of 
the  children  ran  screaming  out  of  the  burning  buildings, 
they  were  caught  by  the  Turkish  soldiers  and  thrown 
back  through  the  windows  into  the  inferno  of  flames. 

The  record  has  but  recently  come  to  us  from  one  of 
the  most  reliable  of  our  newspaper  correspondents  who 
is  now  in  Serbia,  of  the  aw^ful  deeds  of  bloodiness  in 
that  unhappy  land.  Near  one  village  there  w^as  a  deep 
ravine,  and  into  this  ravine,  he  tells  us,  tens  of  thousands 
of  Serbia's  best  people  were  marched  and  murdered.  In 
order  to  kill  off  the  Serbian  race  in  its  stronger  elements, 
the  policy  w^as  deliberately  adopted  of  selecting  out  of 
the  villages  and  towns  the  people  who  were  best  edu- 
cated; the  professional  people;  the  teachers  and  the  bet- 
ter-to-do elements  of  a  community.  They  were  taken, 
without  knowing  where  they  were  going,  and  sent  off  in 
groups  of  twenties  and  thirties  and  fifties  and  hundreds 
down  to  this  village,  and  then  in  the  darkness  of  the  night 
they  were  taken  out  to  that  ravine  of  death,  tied  together 
with  ropes,  and  bayonetted  and  hacked  to  pieces  and 
dumped  into  a  foul  ditch  for  burial.  Men  lost  their  rea- 
son, we  are  told,  listening  to  the  awful  screams  and  cries 
that  came  in  the  darkness  out  of  that  human  hell. 

It  is  an  unpleasant  and  awful  thing  to  even  have  to 
listen  to  these  tales  of  horror.  But  it  is  important  tJmt 
we  should  dwell  upon  them,  that  we  may  find  out  where 
they  came  from,  and  who  is  really  responsible  for  them. 
Think  of  the  thousands  of  Russians  who  were  caught  in 
the  Pripet  marshes  and  surrounded  by  the  Germans,  who 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL      205 

shot  them  to  pieces  in  fiendish  glee.  The  poor  wretches 
there,  trying  to  surrender,  waving  white  flags  and  hold- 
ing up  their  hands  as  the  fire  was  poured  into  them  from 
all  sides,  and  they  were  not  allowed  to  surrender.  They 
were  done  to  death,  while  the  Germans  laughed  at  their 
agony.  Think  of  the  cowardly  schemes  which  the  Huns 
resorted  to.  Think  of  the  loaf  of  bread  that  the  Amer- 
ican soldiers  found  with  a  knife  sticking  in  the  top  of 
it,  but  which  had  within  it  a  bomb  that  was  exploded 
when  the  knife  was  drawn.  Think  of  the  case  where 
the  English  soldiers,  when  they  came  rushing  into  a 
village  which  the  Germans  had  just  retreated  from,  found 
a  little  kitten  nailed  up  alive  to  a  door,  with  the  nails 
driven  through  its  paws  and  so  arranged  that  when  the 
kind-hearted  English  soldier  who  found  the  pitiful  crea- 
ture mewing  and  whining,  drew  out  the  nails,  it  exploded 
a  bomb  that  killed  him.  Is  that  human?  The  craft  and 
cruelty  that  could  play  upon  the  natural  qualities  of  hu- 
man sympathy  for  the  suffering  of  a  dumb  animal,  in 
order  that  a  man's  life  might  be  destroyed,  certainly  must 
be  diabolical.  Think  of  raped  and  plundered  Belgium. 
Think  of  prostrate  Northern  France,  blasted  and  with- 
ered, with  350,000  of  its  homes  destroyed;  its  men  driven 
off  into  slavery  and  its  women  and  little  girls  held  for 
purposes  of  shame  in  the  dug-outs  of  the  German  officers. 
Think  of  the  systematic  outrages  of  women  and  children. 
Not  through  personal  passion  of  irresponsible  soldiers, 
but  as  a  result  of  military  orders,  in  order  that  terror 
might  be  struck  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  in  invaded 
lands.  Think  of  all  this  unspeakable  nightmare  of  shame, 
sin,  and  hellish  horror,  and  then  ask  yourself,  did  man 
do  this?  Are  such  deeds  native  to  the  human  race?  Is 
this  the  climax  of  our  much  lauded  evolution?    If  these 


2o6     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

things  came  thus  from  man,  then  I  am  ready  to  despair 
of  the  human  race  and  of  all  life  upon  this  planet.  If 
here  in  the  twentieth  century,  after  all  these  ages  of 
education,  and  despite  our  science  and  our  art,  our  phi- 
losophy and  our  religion,  our  culture  and  our  supposed 
character;  if,  despite  all  of  these  things,  these  infamies 
have  thus  come  upon  the  world  as  a  natural  result  of 
human  forces,  then,  I  say,  there  is  no  hope  for  the  future. 

BELIEF  IN  THE  DEVIL  THE  ONLY   GROUND  FOR  OPTIMISM 

But  they  have  not  so  come.  The  forces  of  infamy 
and  wrong  let  loose  in  the  war  were  not  human  forces, 
but  diabolical  and  hellish  forces.  "An  enemy  hath  done 
this."  These  horrors  were  from  hell.  A  personal  Devil, 
through  his  black  hosts  of  demons,  put  into  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  men  these  thoughts  of  cruelty,  lust,  and 
infamy.  The  only  reasonable  ground  for  optimism  is  to 
believe  this.  If  these  awful  wrongs  and  horrors  are  na- 
tive to  man,  then  there  is  no  hope  for  the  future  of  the 
human  race.  The  only  solid  ground  for  hope  is  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Devil,  the  great  enemy  of  man,  has  pro- 
moted and  inspired  and  directed  it  all. 

Do  you  think,  my  friends,  that  mere  human  selfishness 
at  its  worst  could  deliberately  formulate  and  launch  a 
catastrophe  so  unimaginable  in  extent,  and  horror,  and 
infamy  as  this?  Ah!  no.  *'An  enemy  hath  done  this."  A 
personal  Devil,  seeking  to  humiliate  God  by  wrecking 
God's  world,  has  been  behind  it  all. 

OUGHT  THE  PREACHERS  GO  ON  A  STRIKE? 

And  what  shall  we  say  in  regard  to  the  present  forces 
of  strife,  anarchy,  and  disorder  which  we  see  at  work 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL      207 

in  the  world?  Are  these  things  of  man?  or  must  we 
not  believe  that  a  great  malignant  spirit  of  evil  is  behind 
them  all  ?  On  one  side  we  see  even  in  America,  with  all 
of  her  enlightenment  and  boasted  progress,  the  spirit 
of  bestial  selfishness,  even  in  the  higher  ranks  of  our 
society.  The  performances  of  the  profiteers  in  laying 
a  personal  tax  upon  the  bread  and  the  meat  and  the 
drink  and  the  clothing  of  the  American  people,  thereby 
causing  suffering  to  millions,  and  the  actual  death  of 
multitudes  of  little  children,  cannot  be  accounted  for 
upon  any  ground  other  than  that  of  a  malignant  spirit 
of  evil  prompting  these  things.  There  are  good  grounds 
for  believing  that  these  men  would  ''corner"  the  air,  if 
they  could  do  so!  They  would  pipe  it  out  to  us  at  so 
much  a  foot,  and  if  we  refused  to  pay  the  price,  we  could 
suffer  the  alternative  of  strangling  to  death  for  breath! 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  spirit  on  the  other  side 
within  the  ranks  of  labor,  which  prompts  strikes  and 
bloodshed  in  order  to  attain  its  ends?  May  I  say  here, 
that  I  have  always  been  an  outspoken  friend  and  cham- 
pion of  the  laboring  people  of  America?  I  am  fully  sym- 
pathetic with  the  struggles  of  the  masses  to  come  up  to 
fuller  rights  and  a  higher  standard  of  living,  but  frank- 
ness and  loyalty  to  truth  compel  me  to  say  that  there 
are  increasing  evidences  of  the  growth  of  a  wrong  spirit 
within  the  ranks  of  labor  to-day. 

There  are  evidences  of  an  increasing  attitude  of  in- 
tolerance and  unwillingness  to  arbitrate  differences,  and 
a  disregard  for  the  rights  of  the  public,  who  constitute 
the  third  party  in  every  disturbance  between  labor  and 
capital.  And  certainly  it  is  true  that  if  the  wages  of 
one  class  of  our  people  ought  to  be  raised,  then  the  scale 


2o8     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ought  to  go  up  all  along  the  line,  or  there  will  be  in- 
evitably increased  suffering  in  the  ranks  of    some. 

President  Lowell  of  Harvard  University,  in  a  recent 
address,  set  forth  the  fact  that  the  average  motorman 
is  now  paid  eighty  cents  an  hour  for  his  labor,  whereas 
the  average  college  professor  is  paid  only  eighteen  cents 
an  hour  for  his  labor.  He  then  coined  his  famous  pun 
in  which  he  asked,  *'Is  it  more  important  to  mind  the 
train  or  to  train  the  mind?" 

Everybody  in  the  world  now  has  gone  on  a  strike  ex- 
cept the  preachers  and  the  undertakers,  and  I  suppose 
that  we  will  be  the  next  to  fall  in  line.  Bishop  Touret 
of  Western  Colorado  has  already  made  a  plea  for  the 
"eight-hour  day"  for  clergymen,  and  certainly  preachers 
have  grievances  enough,  on  the  score  of  underpay  and 
other  abuses,  to  justify  most  earnest  protests.  I  do 
not  speak  now  of  the  fat-salaried  city  preacher.  To  be 
perfectly  frank  with  you,  I  question  very  much  whether 
some  of  us  really  earn  our  salaries.  But  I  mean  the 
great  mass  of  American  preachers  whose  average  income 
is  so  pitifully  small,  that  frequently  it  is  impossible  to 
properly  feed  and  clothe  a  growing  family  upon  it. 

So  if  we  are  to  move  in  line  with  the  spirit  which  is 
now  prevailing  in  the  world  on  this  subject,  I  suppose  we 
will  have  to  get  together  soon  in  a  great  "National  Con- 
vention." The  call  would  go  out  from  some  of  the  more 
aggressive  and  ambitious  brethren,  calling  us  together, 
and  we  will  say  that  perhaps  the  convention  would  be 
held  here  in  New  York  City,  as  the  metropolis  of  the 
Nation  and  the  hub  of  the  world.  Let  me  give  play, 
my  friends,  to  my  imagination  for  a  few  moments  and 
picture  for  you  about  how  it  would  line  up.  That  is,  of 
course,  I  mean  if  we  followed  the  prevailing  way  of 


Il]ustration  of  Dr.  Straton's  description  of  the  "Preachers'  Strike."  which  appeared  in 
the  New  York  "Tribune"  of  Sept.  14,  1919. 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL       209 

doing  these  things.  Well,  there  would  be,  to  begin  witE, 
highly  colored  stories  in  all  of  the  papers  about  the  gath- 
ering of  these  forces.  Headquarters  would  be  estab- 
lished at  the  highest-priced  hotel  in  town,  and  a  group 
picture  of  the  leading  agitators  would  be  accidentally 
furnished  to  all  of  the  papers. 

Then  there  would  be  a  grand  parade  down  Fifth  Ave- 
nue. There  would  be  one  or  more  brass  bands,  with  a 
leaning  to  jazz  music.  Some  brother  with  a  martial 
figure  and  air  would  be  selected  to  head  the  parade  on  a 
prancing  steed.  Then  would  come  the  long  line  of  black- 
robed  figures,  with  Prince  Albert  coat  tails  flapping  in 
the  breeze,  beaver  hats  shining  in  the  sun,  and  a  look  of 
grim  and  awful  determination  upon  every  face.  In  addi- 
tion to  Old  Glory,  which  would  be  prominently  displayed, 
to  show  that  we  are  a  patriotic  fraternity,  there  would  be 
other  banners  and  placards,  with  rallying  calls  printed 
in  bold  letters  upon  them,  running  something  like  this : 
"Even  the  Worm  Finally  Turns !"  Another  would  read, 
"We  Will  No  Longer  Starve  While  We  Save  Your  Souls 
from  Hell !"  Another  would  carry  the  legend,  "No  Pay, 
No  Preach !'*  Another,  "A  New  Dress  for  the  Wife!" 
Another,  "Remember  Our  Kiddies!"  and  "We  Demand 
the  Full  Dinner-Pail !"  and  so  on  down  the  line. 

In  due  season  the  procession  would  reach  Madison 
Square  Garden,  and  we  would  march  in  with  flags  fly- 
ing, and  bands  on  either  side  of  the  entrance  tooting  at 
their  highest  concert  pitch.  A  cordon  of  policemen  would 
be  on  hand  to  keep  order,  and  to  see  that  we  did  not 
exceed  the  bounds  of  propriety.  The  old  Garden  would 
be  gayly  decorated  in  bunting,  and  after  the  usual  prelimi- 
naries to  such  an  occasion,  we  would  then  be  stirred  up 
to  the  fighting  pitch  by  a  series  of  red-hot  addresses, 


2IO     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

in  which  our  grievances  would  be  fully  aired.  Then  a 
permanent  organization  would  be  effected.  The  question 
of  name  would  demand  earnest  consideration  as  it  would 
be  necessary  to  have  the  name  suggest  in  part  our  claims 
and  purposes,  and,  of  course,  it  would  be  vitally  impor- 
tant to  have  the  name  consist  of  about  two  lines  of  sono- 
rous, juicy  alliteration.  Something  like  this  would  do: 
"The  Amalgamated  Association  for  the  Protection  and 
Promotion  of  Progressive  Preachers." 

The  grand  climax  would  then  be  reached  in  a  series  of 
resolutions,  setting  forth  our  grievances  under  about  a 
half  dozen  ''Whereases."  These  "Whereases"  would 
recite  the  fact  that  we  are  expected  to  welcome  the  ba- 
bies, marry  the  young  couples,  comfort  the  sorrowing, 
inspire  the  young,  harmonize  domestic  differences,  lead 
in  all  patriotic  enterprises  and  all  movements  for  civic 
betterments,  keep  the  home  life  of  the  people  sweet,  save 
the  souls  of  sinners,  edify  the  saints,  and  bury  the  dead. 
Then  the  "Whereases"  would  set  forth  the  fact  that  a 
due  appreciation  has  not  been  shown  for  these  vital  and 
important  services,  and  the  conclusion  would  be  reached 
about  as  follows :  "Therefore  be  it  resolved  that  we,  the 
preachers  of  America,  do  hereby  announce  to  our  church- 
es and  to  the  general  public,  that  we  will  not  longer 
submit  to  the  harsh  and  heartless  treatment  which  we 
have  been  subjected  to  from  time  immemorial;  that  we 
will  not  grant  even  a  three-days'  postponement  to  dis- 
cuss our  claims,  with  a  view  to  possible  arbitration;  but 
that  here  and  now  we  declare  to  our  churches  and  to  the 
general  public,  that  unless  we  are  given  immediately  an 
'eight-hour  day'  and  a  fifty  per  cent,  boost  in  salary,  we 
will  go  on  strike  and  let  them  all  go  to  Hell !" 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL      211 

THE  NEED  OF  A  RIGHT  SPIRIT 

Now,  my  friends,  if  we  followed  the  prevailing  fashion 
within  the  ranks  of  discontent,  isn't  that  just  about  the 
way  the  thing  would  shape  up?  And  what  would  you 
think  of  us  if  we  did  such  a  thing?  The  reason  why 
the  preachers  do  not  go  to  these  extremes,  perhaps,  is 
that  there  still  lingers  in  their  hearts,  at  least  some 
glimpse  of  the  ideals  of  altruism  and  service.  They  un- 
derstand that  the  true  object  of  life  is,  not  to  get  as  much 
as  possible,  but  to  give  as  much  as  possible;  that  we  are 
here  to  serve,  and  not  to  strive  for  self;  that  we  are  to 
put  manhood  before  money  and  God  higher  than  gold. 

The  only  thing  which  will  bring  true  peace  to  the 
world,  and  which  will  recreate  the  spirit  of  brother- 
hood, and  which  will  bring  us  safely  by  our  dangers  in 
America,  is  for  capitalists  and  laborers  alike  to  realize 
that  they  are  not  the  masters  but  the  servants  of  their 
fellow  men.  We  all  need  to  hear  again  the  words  of 
Jesus,  ''He  that  would  be  greatest  among  you,  let  him 
become  the  servant  of  all."  The  true  object  of  all  life 
and  of  all  labor  is,  not  to  get  as  much  as  possible  for 
ourselves;  but  to  give  as  large  a  contribution  to  the 
common  weal  as  is  humanly  possible.  And  when  the 
great  captains  of  industry  in  our  country  get  away  from 
their  selfish  viewpoints,  they  will  no  longer  be  willing  to 
exploit  the  mass  of  the  people  for  their  personal  gain, 
but  will  strive  to  help  their  fellow  men;  and  when  the 
millions  of  laborers  in  the  country  catch  the  same  ideal, 
they  will  stop  striking  and  get  together  with  the  capital- 
ists, and  all  of  them  then  will  solve  these  vexed  problems 
like  sensible  men  and  patriotic  Americans. 

All  of  this  spirit  of  strife  and  contention  and  selfish- 


212     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ness  and  bitterness  in  the  world  to-day,  on  both  sides,  is 
from  the  Devil.  It  is  un-American,  un-Christian,  and 
diabolical;  and  when  we  all  realize  thaf  and  unite  our 
forces  against  the  Devil,  and  reenthrone  Jesus  Christ  in 
our  hearts,  and  thus  get  back  once  more  the  spirit  of 
fellowship  and  brotherhood  and  love  and  service,  all  will 
be  well;  but  until  then,  nothing  will  be  well,  either  in 
America  or  in  the  poor,  old,  sin-scarred,  war-wasted, 
weary  world. 

THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL 

Thank  God  for  the  comforting  assurance  that  this 
enemy  of  God  and  man  is  to  be  finally  defeated  and 
driven  out  of  the  world.  I  will  not  take  the  time  to 
trace  out  in  any  detail  a  description  of  the  final  defeat 
and  destruction  of  the  Devil,  as  pictured  in  the  Bible. 

But  there  is  a  final  chapter  in  the  tragic  and  terrible 
career  of  this  high  intelligence,  who  was  privileged  to 
walk  with  God  and  to  serve  God  as  one  of  his  great 
messengers,  until,  through  over-vaulting  pride  and  van- 
ity, he  fell  and  rebelled  against  his  Creator.  Oh,  the 
suffering  and  sorrow  he  has  produced  among  the  teem- 
ing millions  of  the  children  of  men  through  all  the  long 
sad  years  of  earthly  history !  Well  has  one  devout  heart 
said  of  him : 

"With  what  murderous  malignity  did  he  attack  the 
innocence  of  our  first  parents,  and  the  heavenly  purity 
of  Jesus !  With  what  carnage  and  misery  has  he  over- 
flooded  the  earth!  There  has  never  been  a  sanguinary 
war,  but  he  instituted  it.  There  has  never  been  a  death- 
scene,  but  it  is  traceable  to  him.  Every  blight  of  human 
happiness,  every  failure  of  human  peace,  every  sorrow 
of  human  life,  has  come  from  him.    All  the  fiery  passions 


FINAL  DEFEAT  OF  THE  DEVIL      213 

that  rankle  in  men,  and  break  forth  in  deeds  of  violence 
and  blood,  are  his  inspirations.  Never  a  being  has  been 
perverted  from  the  beneficent  object  of  its  existence,  never 
a  soul  has  lost  its  Creator's  image  or  gone  down  to  perdi- 
tion, never  a  life  has  been  disabled  or  extinguished,  never 
a  heart  has  been  broken  or  a  wretchedness  enacted,  of 
which  he  is  not  the  primal  cause.  All  graves,  all  tears,  all 
mutilations  and  dismemberments  of  earth's  famiHes,  na- 
tions, or  the  race,  are  results  of  his  doings  and  malig- 
nity. And  when  we  think  of  the  blood  that  has  been  shed, 
and  the  murders  committed,  since  Cain  raised  his  hand 
against  his  brother's  life;  how  rapine,  and  plunder,  and 
violence  have  disgraced  and  tormented  the  world  in 
every  age;  what  hellish  devastations  war  alone  has 
wrought;  how  human  society  has  been  continually  spoli- 
ated and  cursed  with  intemperance,  ignorance,  unclean- 
ness,  and  vice ;  and  remember  that  all  these,  w^ith  all  the 
calamities,  misfortunes,  and  sufferings  of  time  and  eter- 
nity, have  their  source  in  Satan,  and  are  but  outbursts, 
enactments  or  results  of  his  spirit;  how  could  a  truer 
characterization  be  given  of  him,  than  that  of  a  monster, 
indyed  with  flames  and  blood!" 

But  thank  God,  the  day  is  coming  when  this  enemy  of 
God  and  man  will  be  defeated  and  destroyed  and  cast 
out  from  the  presenceof  God  and  from  before  the  face 
of  man  forever !  God  made  this  world  for  righteousness 
and  peace  and  truth,  and  in  the  fullness  of  the  times  He 
will  get  unto  Himself  a  glorious  victory,  and  in  the  ^*new 
heavens  and  the  new  earth"  righteousness  alone  shall 
reign  forever  and  ever! 


CHAPTER  XV 
A  REAL  HELL  FOR  REAL  SINNERS 

Christ's  story  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  Luke  16:19-31, 
"There  was  a  certain  rich  man,  which  was  clothed  in  purple  and 
fine  linen,  and  fared  sumptuously  every  day :  And  there  was  a  cer- 
tain beggar  named  Lazarus,  which  was  laid  at  his  gate,  full  of 
sores,  and  desiring  to  be  fed  with  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the 
rich  man's  table :  moreover  the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  sores. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by  the 
angels  into  Abraham's  bosom :  the  rich  man  also  died,  and  was 
buried;  and  in  hell  he  lift  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments,  and 
seeth  Abraham  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom.  And  he  cried 
and  said,  Father  Abraham,  have  mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lazarus, 
that  he  may  dip  the  tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and  cool  my  tongue; 
for  I  am  tormented  in  this  flame.  But  Abraham  said,  Son,  re- 
rnember  that  thou  in  thy  lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and 
likewise  Lazarus  evil  things:  but  now  he  is  comforted,  and  thou 
art  tormented.  And  beside  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there  is 
a  great  gulf  fixed :  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from  hence  to 
you  cannot;  neither  can  they  pass  to  us,  that  zvould  come  from 
thence.  Then  he  said,  I  pray  thee  therefore,  Father,  that  thou 
wouldest  send  him  to  my  father's  house:  For  I  have  five  brethren; 
that  he  may  testify  unto  them,  lest  they  also  come  into  this  place 
of  torment.  Abraham  saith  unto  him.  They  have  Moses  and  the 
prophets ;  let  them  hear  them.  And  he  said,  Nay,  Father  Abraham : 
but  if  one  went  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.  And 
he  said  unto  him,  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither 
will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the  dead." 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  one  who  can  give  us  any 
rehable  information  about  the  future  world.  He  has 
been  there,  and  so  He  knows. 

There  is  a  story  told  of  the  first  visit  of  Christian 
missionaries  to  England.  It  is  said  that  these  messengers 
of  Christ  knocked  for  admission  at  the  door  of  a  great 
banqueting  hall  where  the  Thanes  and  Nobles  of  the 
Northumberland  country  w^ere  sitting  at  table.  The  ruler 

214 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         215 

at  first  refused  to  allow  them  to  enter,  but  Coifi  coun- 
seled the  ruler  to  admit  these  bringers  of  a  new  religion. 
As  he  spoke  to  the  ruler,  it  is  said  that  a  sparrow  flew 
in  out  of  the  darkness  through  one  of  the  windows, 
crossed  over  the  banqueting  table  and  then  passed  out 
through  an  opposite  window  into  the  darkness  of  the 
night  beyond.  Seizing  upon  this  incident,  Coifi  exclaimed 
to  the  ruler,  "Oh,  Master,  our  lives  are  like  that !  Even  as 
this  bird  came  out  of  the  darkness,  we  know  not  whence, 
and  flitted  for  a  moment  in  the  light  of  this  room,  and 
then  passed  out  again  into  the  darkness,  going  we  know 
not  whither,  so  are  our  souls.  We  come  we  know  not 
whence,  we  pass  for  a  brief  season  in  the  light  of  this 
world,  and  then  we  go  hence  into  the  darkness,  we  know 
not  where.  If  these  Christians  then  can  give  us  any  truth 
about  the  great  question  of  our  destiny,  we  should  re- 
ceive them,  because,  perchance,  they  may  tell  us  the 
secrets  of  the  world  beyond." 

And  so  Christ  does.  We  are  living  to-day  in  a  materi-» 
alistic  and  rationalistic  age.  The  questioning  habit  of 
mind,  which  the  so-called  ''scientific  spirit"  has  devel- 
oped in  us,  has  made  us  skeptical  about  things  which 
have  to  do  with  the  unseen  spirit  world.  And  yet,  be- 
cause we  are  destined  to  immortality,  the  most  important 
things  that  we  need  to  learn  are  not  the  laws  which  func- 
tion through  matter,  or  any  other  merely  scientific  truths, 
but  the  things  which  have  to  do  with  the  other  world. 
Now  Jesus  Christ  knew  more  about  these  matters  than 
either  our  rationalistic  and  materialistic  scientists  or 
some  of  our  self-made  modern  prophets,  who  are  mis- 
leading the  people  upon  these  vital  things,  can  possibly 
know,  because  he  was  the  incarnation  of  God.  He  came 
from  the  unseen  world  into  this  world  of  time  and  sense, 


2i6     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  knew,  therefore,  all  of  its  conditions,  and  he  said  to 
us  explicitly,  in  speaking  of  immortality  and  of  the  fu- 
ture, "If  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you."  He 
told  us  the  truth  about  other  important  things,  even 
though  it  meant  His  death  because  of  loyalty  to  truth, 
and  surely  He  would  not  deceive  us  concerning  these 
vitally  important  truths  of  the  future  destiny  of  human 
souls.  Jesus  pictures  for  us,  in  his  teaching  concerning 
the  unseen  world,  the  happy  future  of  the  redeemed; 
and  then  he  pictures  its  antipodes  of  woe  and  darkness, 
— a  penal  realm  of  fearful  shadow,  suffering  and  re- 
morse that  he  called  ''Hell." 

THE  COMPASSION  OF  JESUS,  AS  WE  THINK  OF  HELL 

The  teaching  concerning  hell,  therefore,  is  not  our 
teaching,  but  it  is  the  teaching  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  com- 
passionate Redeemer,  the  loving  Savior  of  men;  and 
we  should  approach  this  doctrine  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  He  approached  it.  He  wept  over  Jerusalem,  ex- 
claiming: ''Oh  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest 
the  prophets,  and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee, 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings, 
and  ye  would  not !  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you 
desolate."  That  inexorable  "ye  would  not"  is  the  key 
to  the  entire  doctrine  of  the  punishment  of  the  lost. 
God  is  not  an  arbitrary  tyrant  casting  souls  into  hell. 
He  is  a  loving  and  compassionate  Father,  who  has  done 
His  utmost  to  save  the  children  of  men  from  spiritual 
destruction,  even  up  to  the  point  of  giving  his  only  be- 
gotten Son  to  die  for  us;  but  because  we  will  not  obey 
God,  therefore  we  are  left  "desolate." 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         217 

A  DRAMATIC   CONTRAST  IN   TWO  LIVES 

The  clearest  teaching  which  we  have  from  our  Savior, 
and  the  fullest  statement  of  the  conditions  surrounding 
lost  souls,  is  given  in  Christ's  story  of  Lazarus  and  Dives, 
which  is  not  a  ''parable,"  as  many  have  supposed. 

This  story  consists  of  a  series  of  startling  pictures,  in 
vivid  and  dramatic  contrast  one  with  the  other.  First, 
there  is  the  contrast  on  earth  in  two  lives.  We  have,  to 
begin  with,  the  rich  man  in  his  "purple  and  fine  linen," 
the  Tyrian  purple  and  the  Egyptian  byssus,  which  only 
the  rich  could  wear.  We  may  see  the  imposing  gateway 
of  this  rich  man's  palatial  home  looking  down  upon  the 
vulgar  crowd.  We  may  see  him  "faring  sumptuously 
every  day."  A  literal  rendering  of  the  Greek  here  is 
"living  in  mirth  and  splendor  every  day."  His  was  evi- 
dently a  spoiled  and  pampered  human  life.  This  man's 
days  consisted  of  a  round  of  luxurious  self-indulgences ; 
his  table  piled  high  with  costly  viands — every  dehcacy 
to  tempt  the  palate  and  to  please  the  appetite.  Then 
would  come  the  women,  with  their  voluptuous  dancing 
and  their  seductive  glances — slaves  and  concubines,  fair 
and  comely,  that  his  wealth  had  purchased  for  the  satis- 
faction of  his  lust.  Then  followed  the  wine  and  the 
loud  laughter  and  the  ribald  mirth.  And  so  in  oriental 
voluptuousness,  stately  splendor,  and  self-indulgent  ease 
his  life  went  forward  day  by  day. 

The  other  character  here  pictured  is  a  poor  man.  The 
contrast  is  startling,  for  this  man  is  so  poor  that  he  is 
entirely  without  friends.  The  Greek  verb  "laid"  con- 
tains the  suggestion  that  the  hands  which  brought  him 
to  the  rich  man's  gate  were  not  those  of  gentle  affection, 
but  the  hasty  rough  hands  of  perfunctory  duty,  or  the 


2i8     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

indifferent  hands  of  cold  charity.  It  is  as  though  he 
were  hastily  thrown  down  at  the  gate.  We  may  almost 
hear  his  groans,  as  they  drop  him,  and  his  cry,  "Oh, 
gently,  gently,  please !"  He  was  a  man  so  poor  that  he 
desired  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table, 
and  so  impotent  that  the  very  dogs  of  the  street  licked 
his  sores. 

A  CONTRAST  IN  TWO  DEATHS 

The  next  picture  in  this  story  is  that  of  two  deaths. 
First,  the  beggar  dies.  We  do  not  know  why,  but  we 
know  it  is  true  that  the  good  are  sometimes  taken  while 
the  evil  are  allowed  to  flourish  longer.  But  the  startling 
statement  comes  that  immediately  after  death  the  angels 
took  this  beggar  ''to  Abraham's  bosom."  This  was  the 
highest  conception  of  honor  and  happiness  possible  to  the 
Jewish  mind.  He  who  the  minute  before  death  suffered 
the  humiliation  of  grinding  poverty  and  the  pain  of  loath- 
some sores,  the  minute  after  death  wings  his  way  to  ce- 
lestial joy  and  glory,  buoyed  up  by  the  snowy  pinions  of 
the  angels  of  God !  How  wonderful  is  the  contrast !  and 
what  a  revelation  it  contains  of  God's  estimate  of  human 
life! 

Let  us  discriminate  here.  This  man's  salvation  did 
not  come  because  he  was  poor.  There  was  no  especial 
merit  in  that,  but  he  was  saved  because,  even  in  his  pover- 
ty, like  Job  in  his  reverses,  his  heart  was  right  with 
God. 

Then  we  are  told  that  "the  rich  man  also  died"  and 
"was  buried."  Jesus  seems  to  emphasize  that.  He  did 
not  even  mention  that  the  beggar  was  buried.  His  fune- 
ral was  so  insignificant  as  not  to  require  a  comment. 
His  body  was  doubtless  dumped  in  the  "Potter's  Field." 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         219 

But  the  funeral  of  the  rich  man  was  an  event  in  the 
community.  It  passed  off  in  stately  dignity  and  splendor. 
Doubtless  a  magnificent  mausoleum  of  gleaming  marble 
had  been  prepared — a  monument  of  human  vanity.  High 
stepping  steeds  of  Arabia  drew  the  heavy  funeral  car. 
There  were  tossing  plumes  and  stately  music,  and  long 
lines  of  hired  mourners  accompanied  the  body  to  its  place 
in  the  tomb.  We  can  even  imagine  the  eulogy  pronounced 
by  the  preacher.  The  lile  was  reviewed.  Its  charity  was 
pointed  out,  for  doubtless  this  man  gave  money,  when 
there  was  something  spectacular  on  hand,  *'to  be  seen  of 
men."  The  strong  part  that  the  man  had  played  in  the 
larger  affairs  of  the  community  was  referred  to,  and  the 
minister  probably  preached  him  straight  into  heaven! 

But  not  so  Jesus!  Listen!  Jesus  said  bluntly:  *Tn 
hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torment."  His  wealth 
made  no  difference  in  that  new  world.  He  was  graded 
according  to  what  was  in  him  and  not  by  the  things 
which  he  had  piled  up  around  him. 

Notice  clearly,  too,  that  his  self-conscious  personality 
had  survived.  There  had  been  no  annihilation  of  his 
soul,  as  some  false  prophets  of  to-day  are  preaching. 
We  cannot  even  annihilate  an  atom  of  matter,  much 
less  the  immortal  spirit  of  man,  which  is  the  crown  of 
the  material  universe.  So  Jesus  said,  the  man  lifted  up 
his  eyes  and  "Seeth  Abraham  afar  off  and  Lazarus  in 
his  bosom ;  and  he  cried  and  said.  Father  Abraham,  have 
mercy  on  me,  and  send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the  tip 
of  his  finger  in  water  and  cool  my  tongue,  for  I  am  in 
anguish  in  this  flame." 


220     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

A  CONTRAST  IN  ETERNAL  DESTINY 

So,  my  friends,  Jesus  Christ  taught  that  this  lost  soul 
was  punished.  We  need  to  take  that  in.  He  suffered 
anguish,  because  of  his  unrighteous  life  and  his  alienation 
from  God.  And  notice  now  what  the  grounds  of  this 
punishment,  as  stated  by  Jesus,  were: 

First,  it  is  clear  that  this  man  failed  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  to  his  needy  fellowmen.  He  had  no  social 
vision.  The  impulses  of  true  democracy  and  brother- 
hood were  alien  to  him.  Lazarus  was  the  rich  man's 
opportunity,  and  he  failed  to  improve  that  opportunity. 
It  is  evident  that  he  knew  about  the  beggar,  because  he 
calls  his  name  and  asks  Abraham  to  send  Lazarus  to 
cool  his  anguish,  and  yet  he  had  allowed  the  man  to 
lay  day  after  day  at  his  gate,  having  to  ask  even  for 
the  crumbs  which  fell  from  his  table.  He  had  allowed  a 
fellowman  so  to  suffer,  that  the  very  dogs  had  to  come 
and  lick  his  sores.  Jesus  makes  perfectly  clear  here,  and 
in  all  of  his  teachings  concerning  the  judgment  and  the 
future  life,  that  the  sin  of  omission  is  the  greatest  sin 
at  last.  He  teaches  that  we  have  a  solemn  obligation  to 
our  fellow  men,  and  if  we  fail  in  this  high  duty  we  will 
suffer  for  that  failure  in  the  future  world. 

Again,  Jesus  clearly  teaches  here  the  fundamental 
truth,  that  eternal  justice  demands  that  sin  must  pay  the 
penalty  of  suffering.  In  verse  25  we  read,  ''But  Abraham 
said,  'Son*  " — and  this  shows  that  this  man  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church.  He  was  a  "son"  under  the  formal 
covenant.  Not  every  one  who  joins  the  church  is  saved, 
and  no  one  is  saved  simply  because  he  joins  the  church. 
So  Abraham  said,  "Son,  remember  that  thou  in  thy 
lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  likewise  Lazarus 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         221 

evil  things,  but  now  he  is  comforted  and  thou  art  in 
anguish."  This  means  just  one  thing  and  that  is  that 
full  and  exact  justice  will  finally  be  done,  because  this 
is  a  moral  universe  and  God's  reign  is  a  moral  govern- 
ment, ''Thy  good  things."  Not  things  that  were  in 
themselves  good,  but  things  that  were  good  according  to 
his  selfish  conception.  The  mirth  and  the  splendor,  the 
women  and  the  wine,  the  extortion  and  the  greed,  the 
selfish  indulgence  and  sinful  ease  upon  earth  were  not 
only  violations  of  God's  holy  laws,  but  they  worked 
inevitable  injuries  and  wrong  to  others.  Therefore, 
eternal  justice  demanded  that  they  should  be  paid  for,  if 
not  on  earth,  then  in  eternity.  So  the  scales  must  finally 
exactly  balance. 

The  thought  that  a  good  God  would  allow  any  soul 
to  go  to  Hell  is  staggering  to  some  superficial  minds,  but 
we  need  to  remember  that  the  results  of  sin  are  infinite 
and  eternal,  and  therefore,  eternal  suffering  for  sin  is 
not  only  just  and  right,  but  it  is  inevitable.  Yonder  in 
the  city  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  some  years  ago,  a  young 
girl  stood  at  midnight  on  the  bridge  spanning  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  The  pitying  moon  looked  down  in  tender- 
ness upon  her  and  seemed  to  realize  her  disgrace.  The 
cool  waves  whispered  invitingly  to  her,  as  she  gazed  into 
them  and  wondered  if  amid  their  silent  depths  there  was 
not  some  rest  for  a  betrayed  and  broken  heart.  At  last 
the  thought  of  her  shame  made  death  seem  better 
to  her  than  life,  and  to  hide  her  sorrow  she  plunged 
down  to  a  watery  grave.  Now  listen!  At  that  same 
hour,  as  the  newspaper  accounts  later  showed,  in  a 
saloon  of  that  city,  a  sap-headed  dude,  in  half -drunken 
vanity,  stood  and  boasted  (though  not  knowing  of  her 
suicide)    that  his   fortieth  girl  had  been  seduced  and 


222     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

robbed  of  her  virtue!  Oh,  tell  me  not  that  there  is  not 
a  time  and  place  where  that  awful  wrong  will  be  righted! 
Some  say  that  they  cannot  believe  in  a  God  who  has  a 
hell,  but  I  can  no  longer  believe  'in  God  if  He  has  not 
the  purpose  and  the  power  to  right  that  wrong;  for  that 
villain,  so  far  as  the  laws  of  earth  are  concerned,  es- 
^caped.  When  the  news  of  the  suicide  and  of  his  connec- 
tion with  it  was  published  in  the  papers,  he  sneaked  out 
of  the  city,  doubtless  to  continue  his  career  of  infamy 
amid  other  scenes.  The  results  of  his  crimes  are  eternal 
in  the  wrecked  lives  and  blighted  souls  of  his  victims, 
and  to  the  last  atom  of  his  guilt  Justice  will  weigh  out 
his  due  reward,  self-imposed  and  fully  deserved ! 

Can  any  sane  man  remember  the  horrors  and  infamies 
of  the  great  World  War,  and  then  say  that  God  ought 
not  to  punish  the  men  who  did  these  wrongs?  When  we 
remember  the  cold-blooded,  calculating  infamy  in  which 
the  war  was  planned  and  prepared  for  c^nd  then  launched 
upon  a  smiling  and  peaceful  earth ;  when  we  think  of  the 
10,000,000  men  whose  bodies  are  now  rotting  in  the 
ground  or  under  the  sea ;  when  we  recall  raped  Belgium 
and  murdered  Armenia,  when  we  see  the  agony  of  the 
mothers  in  the  Lusitania,  as  they  hugged  their  little 
babies  to  their  breasts  while  the  remorseless  waves  en- 
gulfed them;  as  we  see  poor  little  girls  torn  limb  from 
limb ;  as  we  hear  the  cry  of  despairing  women,  raped  and 
ruined  by  human  fiends,  when  there  was  no  hand  to 
help  them;  when  we  think  of  these  things,  thank  God 
for  the  realization  that  there  was  an  eye  that  did  see  and 
there  is  a  hand  that  will  avenge!  God  still  reigns  in 
righteousness,  and  though  human  power  can  never  make 
right  these  wrongs,  Divine  power  will  make  them  right 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         223 

and  eternal  justice  will  meet  out  punishment  to  all  those 
guilty  of  these  hideous  sins ! 


THE   REALITY    OF    HELL 

But  you  ask,  "Is  Hell  a  place  or  is  it  just  a  condition?'* 
The  teaching  of  Jesus  makes  it  clear  that  hell  is  a  place 
as  well  as  a  condition.  As  self-conscious  personality 
survives  in  the  future  life,  it  must  survive  somewhere. 
And  the  fact  of  natural  moral  gravitation,  which  leads 
evil  people  to  flock  together  in  this  world,  will  doubtless 
also  be  in  the  world  to  come.  But  beyond  all  this  is  the 
clear  teaching  of  the  Bible  that  Hell  is  a  place  and  that 
God's  omnipotent  power  will  see  to  it  that  the  un- 
righteous and  rebellious  are  put  there.  I  have  not  the 
time  to  go  into  detail  upon  this  aspect  of  the  question, 
further  than  to  say  that  there  are  terms  employed  in  the 
Bible  which  seem  to  teach  that  there  are  several  divi- 
sions in  the  tmderworld.  Just  as  we  have  in  human 
economy,  city  and  county  jails,  where  offenders  are 
temporarily  incarcerated,  and  then  state  and  national 
penitentiaries  where  they  are  assigned  for  final  punish- 
ment, the  Bible  teaches  that  there  are  several  stages  or 
departments  in  the  abode  of  the  lost.  Just  as  paradise 
seems  to  be  a  place  in  which  saved  souls  abide  in  happi- 
ness and  peace  before  they  come  into  the  full  joys  of 
the  final  heaven,  so  it  would  seem  that  a  like  economy 
applies  to  Hell.  The  place,  for  example,  into  which 
Satan  will  be  cast  during  the  millennium  is  not  the  final 
Hell  into  which  he  is  to  be  cast  at  the  close  of  his  career. 
During  the  millennium  he  is  cast  into  what  is  called  the 
"abyss,"  where  he  is  held  in  chains  and  restrained  from 
going  about  the  earth.     After  the  millennium,  when  he 


224     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

is  loosed  for  a  season,  we  are  taught  he  is  thrown  into 
the  "lake  of  fire,  which  burneth  with  brimstone'';  and 
this  is  the  final  Hell,  into  which  the  **beast,"  the  "false 
prophet"  and  other  enemies  of  God  are  cast. 


HELL   ETERNAL 

Jesus  taught,  beyond  any  question,  that  the  condition 
of  a  lost  soul  is  unchangeable.  In  verse  26  of  this  story 
Jesus  said,  ''And  beside  all  this,  between  us  and  you  there 
is  a  great  gulf  fixed :  so  that  they  which  would  pass  from 
thence  to  you  cannot;  neither  can  they  pass  to  us  that 
would  come  from  thence."  There  is,  then,  no  such  thing 
as  probation  after  death,  or  a  "purgatory,"  offering  op- 
portunity for  another  chance.  As  the  tree  falls,  so  must 
it  lie,  and  so  we  read  in  Revelations,  *'Let  him  that  is 
filthy  be  filthy  still."  Jesus  said  (Matt.  13:41,  49-50), 
''The  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  His  kingdom  all  things  that  offend  and 
them  which  do  iniquity.  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the 
world :  the  angels  shall  come  forth,  and  sever  the  wicked 
from  among  the  just.  And  shall  cast  them  into  the 
furnace  of  fire;  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth."  In  Matthew  25  4 1  he  said,  in  picturing  the 
judgment,  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting 
fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels :  these  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment  but  the  righteous  into 
everlasting  life,"  and  the  same  Greek  word  is  used  in 
this  passage  to  measure  the  duration  of  punishment  as 
is  used  to  measure  the  duration  of  the  life  of  the  saved. 
Again  Jesus  says  (Mark  9:43),  "It  is  better  for  thee  to 
enter  into  life  maimed  than  having  two  hands  to  go  to 
hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched ;  where  the 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         225, 

worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  And  in 
Luke  3  :i7  we  read  of  Christ  as  Judge,  ''Whose  fan  is  in 
his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  and 
will  gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner;  but  the  chaff  he 
will  bum  with  fire  unquenchable."  And  again  he  says, 
through  John  in  Revelation  14:10,  in  speaking  of  the 
rebellious  and  sinful :  'The  same  shall  drink  of  the  wine 
of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  is  poured  out  without  meas- 
ure into  the  cup  of  his  indignation ;  and  he  shall  be  tor- 
mented with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  presence  of  the 
holy  angels,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Lamb :  the  smoke 
of  their  torment  ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever;  and 
they  have  no  rest  day  nor  night."  In  Revelation  19:20 
we  read,  "And  the  beast  was  taken,  and  with  him  the 
false  prophet.  These  both  were  cast  alive  into  a  lake 
of  fire  burning  with  brimstone."  And  in  Rev.  20:10, 
"The  devil  that  deceived  them  was  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire  and  brimstone,  where  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet 
are,  and  shall  be  tormented  day  and  night  for  ever  and 
ever.  Whosoever  was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of 
life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire."  And  in  Rev.  21 :8, 
"But  the  fearful,  and  unbelieving,  and  the  abominable, 
and  murderers,  and  whore  mongers,  and  sorcerers,  and 
idolaters,  and  all  liars,  shall  have  their  part  in  the  lake 
which  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone;  which  is  the 
second  death." 

What  does  it  mean  by  this  "second  death"  ?  It  means 
spiritual  death,  not  that  they  are  annihilated,  for  in  Rev. 
19 :20,  in  speaking  of  these  very  ones  who  were  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire,  he  said :  "These  both  were  cast  alive  into 
a  lake  of  fire,  burning  with  brimstone."  "The  soul  that 
sinneth,  it  shall  die,"  not  in  the  sense  of  annihilation, 


226     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

but  in  the  sense  of  death  to  the  highest.  So  in  Proverbs 
9:18,  where  one  is  pictured  foohsh  enough  to  go  in  unto 
the  woman  of  shame,  it  is  said,  "But  he  knoweth  not  that 
the  dead  are  there,  and  that  her  guests  are  in  the  depths 
of  hell";  that  is  the  spiritually  dead  are  there,  though 
they  are  still  alive  so  far  as  consciousness  is  concerned, 
and  they  are  already,  even  in  the  midst  of  their  wicked 
self-indulgence,  in  the  depths  of  hell  through  the  burn- 
ing of  conscience.  God  is  the  life  of  the  spirit  and  when 
he  is  lost,  the  spirit  dies  to  the  highest.  We  are  born  a 
second  time,  when  we  are  "regenerated"  and  thus  united 
by  faith  to  the  living  God.  We  die  a  second  time  when 
we  finally  lose  God  forever.  It  is  "death,"  and  it  is  tor- 
ment; and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  is 
eternal.  It  is  "to  the  ages  of  the  ages."  Confirmed  de- 
pravity cannot  be  cured  where  no  means  of  grace  are; 
neither  can  those  cease  to  sin  whose  whole  nature  has 
been  turned  to  sin.  And  if  there  can  be  no  end  of  the 
sinning,  how  can  there  be  an  end  of  the  suffering?  Re- 
morse cannot  die  out  of  a  spirit  ever  conscious  of  its 
self-imposed  damnation!  Therefore,  "their  worm  dieth 
not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."    (Mark  9:48.) 

SOWING  AND  REAPING 

Christ  closes  this  stern  and  searching  teaching  with  a 
solemn  warning  to  the  living.  When  the  rich  man  asked 
him  to  send  Lazarus  back  to  his  father's  house  to  warn 
his  five  living  brethren  (Verse  29),  Abraham  said  unto 
him :  "They  have  Moses  and  the  prophets ;  let  them  hear 
them.  And  he  said,  nay.  Father  Abraham;  but  if  one 
went  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.  And  he 
said  unto  him,  if  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         227 

neither  will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the 
dead."  Here,  then,  is  the  clear  teaching  that  all  who  are 
lost  are  lost  because  they  will  not  believe  the  prophets 
and  obey  God.  There  will  be  some  who  will  go  to  Hell, 
despite  all  that  God  and  his  prophets  can  do.  Yes,  as 
Jesus  said,  ''neither  will  they  be  persuaded,  though  one 
rose  from  the  dead."  Therefore,  they  send  themselves 
to  Hell — they  only  reap  what  they  have  sowed. 

I  stood  a  few  days  ago  with  a  friend  in  front  of  the 
Herald  office,  in  this  city,  and  while  we  were  standing 
there  suddenly  the  great  bell  began  to  sound.  We  turned 
and  watched  those  mighty  mechanical  bronze  figures 
which  strike  the  hours.  One  of  them  lifted  the  sledge 
hammer  and  smote  the  rim  of  the  bell,  and  then  the  other 
lifted  his  hammer  and  smote,  and  so  alternating  they 
struck  out  the  hour.  The  scene  recalled  to  my  mind  the 
story  of  the  Clock  Tower,  which  was  erected  in  a  great 
Kingdom  of  the  long  ago.  This  tower  was  the  crowning 
achievement  of  a  world-famous  architect  of  that  age, 
and  the  very  climax  of  his  genius  was  reached  in  the 
massive  and  beautiful  bronze  bell.  He  designed  a  won- 
derful mechanism  for  the  striking  of  the  hours  on  the 
giant  bell.  The  bell  was  to  be  pivoted  in  the  center,  and 
the  artist  planned  a  great  bronze  figure  which,  through 
the  operation  of  the  mechanism,  was  to  glide  up  noise- 
lessly and  strike  the  bell ;  one  stroke  for  one  o'clock,  two 
strokes  for  two,  and  so  on  through  the  twelve  hours. 
The  mold  for  the  great  bell  had  been  prepared  with 
anxious  care  and  finest  skill  by  the  artist,  but  while  they 
were  pouring  the  molten  metal  into  the  mold  one  of  the 
workmen  made  a  slight  mistake,  which  endangered  the 
success  of  the  bell  for  a  second;  and  in  a  flash  of  passion 


228     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

and  anger  the  artist  seized  a  hammer  and  struck  the 
workman  dead.  A  piece  of  the  murdered  man's  skull 
flew  into  the  molten  metal  and  that  left  a  flaw  in  the 
bell,  which  the  artist  did  not  discover  until  the  entire 
structure  and  mechanism  were  all  complete. 

Then  the  story  pictures  the  great  day  when  the  Clock 
Tower  and  the  bell  were  to  be  dedicated  and  used  for 
the  first  time.  The  king  and  his  court  were  there,  and 
all  the  people  of  the  country  had  assembled  in  the  plain 
around  the  Tower.  It  had  been  announced  that  the  bell 
would  strike  for  the  first  time  at  one  o'clock  on  that 
day,  and  it  was  known  that  the  artist,  who  had  planned 
it  all,  was  within  the  tower  alone  putting  the  final  touches 
upon  the  mechanism.  As  the  hour  of  one  o'clock  ap- 
proached, the  noises  of  the  crowd  died  down.  The  peo- 
ple began  to  count  the  minutes ;  and  then,  amidst  a  death- 
like stillness,  they  counted  the  seconds  up  to  one  o'clock, 
and  waited  for  the  sounding  of  the  bell.  But  it  did  not 
sound  the  hour.  Nothing  was  heard  save  a  slight,  dull 
thud,  and  then  there  was  silence.  The  people  waited 
anxiously,  until  at  last  the  curiosity  and  excitement  be- 
came so  great  that  the  King  ordered  that  the  tower  should 
be  broken  into.  The  people  burst  open  the  door  and 
rushed  up  the  stairs.  There  they  found  the  artist,  dead 
beside  the  bell.  In  his  anxiety  for  perfect  success  and  the 
eternal  glory  that  would  accompany  his  achievement,  he 
was  working  during  the  last  few  moments,  in  an  effort 
to  mend  the  flaw,  which  the  piece  of  skull  from  the 
murdered  workman  had  left  in  the  bell.  Absorbed  in  his 
work,  he  labored  on,  not  noticing  that  the  moments  were 
swiftly  passing,  until  one  o'clock  came  and  the  great 
bronze  figure,  which  was  to  strike  the  bell,  glided  noise- 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         229 

lessly  forward  upon  its  runners  and  lifted  the  heavy 
sledge  hammer  and  smote.  But  instead  of  striking  the 
bell,  the  hammer  struck  full  square  the  head  of  the  artist, 
and  they  found  him,  with  his  skull  smashed  like  an  egg 
shell,  lying  before  his  masterpiece.  He  had  been  de- 
stroyed  by  the  thing  which  he  himself  had  made! 

And  that  will  be  the  final  record  of  every  lost  soul! 

The  prophet  exclaims,  in  speaking  of  the  wicked,  "woe 
unto  their  soul !  for  they  have  rewarded  evil  unto  them- 
selves." (Isaiah  3  :g. )  And  again  it  is  written  that  "the 
strong  shall  be  as  tow,  and  the  maker  of  it  as  a  spark, 
and  they  shall  both  burn  together,  and  none  shall  quench 
them."  (Isaiah  1:31.)  And  once  more  we  are  warned : 
"Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked ;  for  whatsoever  a 
man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."  (Gal.  6 17.)  Every 
soul,  therefore,  who  is  finally  lost  will  go  like  Judas  to 
"his  own  place" — ^not  a  place  prepared  originally  for 
men,  but  "prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels." 

What  shall  we  do  about  these  tremendous  truths? 
Well,  you  say,  "I  don't  believe  in  any  literal  hell  of  fire. 
I  believe  that  Jesus  was  using  figures  of  speech  in  these 
references  to  hell  fire."  Very  well,  then,  but  do  you  not 
know  that  a  figure  of  speech  is  always  weaker  than  the 
thing  symbolized  by  it  ?  Could  any  material  torments  be 
worse  than  the  moral  torture  of  an  acutely  sharpened 
conscience,  in  which,  like  that  of  the  rich  man,  memory 
becomes  remorse  as  it  dwells  upon  misspent  time  and  mis- 
used talents,  upon  omitted  duties  and  committed  sins, 
upon  opportunities  lost  both  of  doing  and  of  getting 
good,  upon  privileges  neglected  and  warnings  rejected? 
The  poet,  Starkey,  stimulates  our  imagination  in  the 
awful  lines : 


230     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

"All  that  hath  been  that  ought  not  to  have  been, 
That  might  have  been  so  different ;  that  now 
Cannot  but  be  irrevocably  past.    Thy  gangrened  heart, 
Stripped  of  its  self-worn  mask,  and  spread  at  last 
Bare,  in  its  horrible  anatomy, 
Before  thine  own  excruciated  gaze." 

While  Cecil  puts  this  part  of  the  matter  in  a  nutshell 
when  he  writes : 

"Hell  is  the  truth  seen  too  late.'* 

The  really  important  fact,  however,  is  not  the  precise 
nature  of  Hell.  It  is  the  Devil  who  sidetracks  us  from 
the  main  thing  by  getting  our  minds  to  raise  questions 
and  differences  about  these  speculative  points.  The  great 
and  important  truth  is  that  there  is  a  Hell,  and  that  it  is 
terribly  real,  whether  we  can  fully  understand  its  condi- 
tions now  with  our  finite  earthly  minds  or  not.  And  we 
need  to  understand,  too,  that  this  Hell  is  for  New  York- 
ers as  much  as  for  any  one  else.  God  is  no  respecter 
of  places  or  persons.  Whether  you  live  in  the  back 
woods  or  in  the  world's  metropolis,  whether  you  dwell  in 
a  palace  on  Fifth  Avenue  or  a  hovel  in  the  slums,  unless 
you  repent  and  turn  from  your  sins,  oh,  men  and  women, 
you  are  lost! 

HELL  A  REASONABLE  BELIEF 

A  moment's  clear  thinking  will  convince  any  reason- 
able mind  that  it  is  a  rational  and  necessary  truth  which 
Jesus  Christ  proclaimed  in  his  teaching  about  hell.  You 
believe  that  crime  ought  to  be  punished  and  that  there 
ought  to  be  jails  and  penitentiaries  in  this  world.  Will 
you  be  so  foolish,  then,  as  to  think  that  God  Almighty 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         231 

ought  to  be  less  firm,  less  wise  and  less  just  than  earthly 
rulers?  You  would  tremble  for  your  safety  if  you  had 
violated  some  law  here  in  New  York.  You  would  dodge 
a  policeman  as  though  he  had  the  smallpox,  and  the  sight 
of  a  jail  house  would  almost  throw  you  into  fits!  And 
yet  you  will  go  on  day  after  day  violating  God's  laws, 
as  though  you  believe  that  you  could  easily  "get  away 
with  it."  How  do  you  figure  that  out?  Do  you  think 
that  God  is  a  fool  and  that  you  can  "put  it  over  on  Him"  ? 
or  do  you  think  that  He  really  doesn't  care?  or  do  you 
believe  He  is  so  weak  that  He  can  not  vindicate  His 
law^s?  One  of  these  three  things  must  be  true  of  your 
thinking.  Either  God  is  a  fool,  or  He  is  immoral,  or 
He  is  weak,  if  he  has  provided  no  Hell  for  violators  of 
righteous  law !  But  he  is  neither  of  these  things.  Hear 
me  to-night,  you  are  the  "fool,"  as  Jesus  said,  and  not 
God !  "Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked."  And  he 
has  both  the  means  and  the  power  to  attend  to  your 
case!  He  must  and  will  provide  some  place  where  the 
ungodly  go.  Violators  of  His  holy  laws  must  pay  the 
penalty  for  their  folly  and  sin.  Certainly  Jesus  Christ 
is  trying  to  say  to  us  in  all  of  this  teaching,  that  Hell 
is  an  awful  reality,  whatever  its  exact  condition  may  be, 
and  that  for  a  human  soul  to  be  finally  alienated  from 
God  and  turned  into  Hell  is  the  supreme  tragedy  of  the 
whole  universe! 

It  is  in  this  spirit,  then,  that  my  appeal  is  made  to- 
night. Sin  should  be  rebuked,  but  as  God  sees  my  heart, 
there  is  only  the  earnest  desire  to  help,  even  as  my  blessed 
Master  desired  to  help,  in  his  rebuke  of  sin  and  his  warn- 
ing concerning  hell.  I  do  not  set  myself  up  above  any 
one.  I  only  rejoice  in  Christ  my  Savior!  And  plead 
with  all  who  need  Him  to  turn  in  penitence  to  God ! 


232      THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

THE   RANKS   OF   THE  REBELS 

What  will  you  do  about  all  of  this,  oh,  men  and 
women  of  New  York?  You  blatant  infidels,  who  sneer 
at  the  church  and  laugh  at  the  preachers  and  scoff  at  all 
righteous  things!  You  profane  men,  taking  even  the 
holy  name  of  God  into  your  places  of  vice  and  shame. 
You  lewd  men  and  women,  slaves  to  lust  and  appetite, 
prostituting  the  sacred  powers  that  God  has  given  you 
for  propagating  the  race,  to  base,  selfish  and  unholy  ends. 
You  destroyers  of  unborn  infants.  You  vain  and  God- 
less society  women,  with  your  cigarettes,  your  cocktails 
and  your  indecent  dresses;  you  who  decline  the  duties 
and  privileges  of  motherhood  that  you  may  pursue  your 
selfish  ''careers,"  and  who  nurse  contemptible  little  dogs 
rather  than  babies.  You  mal-practitioners,  who  help 
them  do  these  things.  You  whoremongers.  You  drunk- 
ards and  drunkard  makers.  You  thieves.  You  murder- 
ers. You  bribe  givers  and  bribe  takers.  You  corrupt 
politicians.  You  stirrers  up  of  strife  and  bloodshed. 
You  setters  of  citizen  against  citizen  and  class  against 
class.  You  makers  and  sellers  of  impure  literature.  You 
false  prophets,  ''blind  leaders  of  the  blind,"  who  cry, 
"peace,  peace,"  when  there  is  no  peace.  You  religious 
Pharisees,  who  profess  with  your  lips  on  Sunday  a  creed 
to  which  your  lives  give  the  lie  all  the  other  days  of  the 
week.  You  fosterers  and  promoters  of  the  rotten 
heresies  that  are  taught  on  every  hand  in  this  city.  You 
men  who  are  seducing  and  misleading  the  young  for 
gain; — that  bunch  of  moving  picture  promoters,  who 
went  to  Albany  during  the  last  legislature  and  stood  on 
the  other  side  of  the  table,  as  some  of  us  raised  our 
voices  in  behalf  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Lord's  Day, — you 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         233 

who  scorned  us  and  laughed  at  us  and  who  got  through 
your  laws,  for  the  breaking  down  of  the  Sabbath,  in 
order  that  you  might  open  your  lecherous  shows  even 
on  the  day  of  worship,  and  thereby  make  more  dirty 
dollars  for  yourselves.  You  theater  men  of  New  York, 
who  take  advantage  of  the  need  and  desire  of  the  people 
for  recreation  to  debase  their  ideals — you  conscienceless 
theater  men,  who  prostitute  art  before  the  altars  of  com- 
mercialism, who  capitalize  the  sacrifice  of  womanly 
modesty  and  degrade  girlhood  by  making  a  display  of 
those  very  feminine  graces  and  charms,  that  God 
Almighty  has  designed  for  pure  and  noble  purposes. 
Yes,  and  you  church  people  who  applaud,  and,  by  your 
presence  and  your  money,  support  these  men,  who  are 
violating  God's  Holy  day,  and  who  are  running  in  op- 
position to  the  church  and  doing  the  Devil's  work  in  this 
city.  You  gamblers,  high  and  low,  who  defy  the  laws 
of  God  and  man  and  make  your  living  not  by  honest  anj 
self-reliant  efforts,  but  who  live  as  parasites  upon  so- 
ciety, and  between  whom  and  a  thief  there  is  only  the 
difference  of  the  thickness  of  a  card.  And  you  covetous 
men,  you  worshipers  of  Mammon  instead  of  God,  you 
operators  of  sweat  shops,  you  tenement  house  landlords, 
you  grinders  of  the  faces  of  the  poor,  you  employers  of 
child  labor,  you  who  scheme  and  plot  and  cheat  and 
wreck  railroad  systems  and  plunder  insurance  companies. 
You  profiteers,  who  are  starving  the  people  and  murder- 
ing millions  of  babies,  as  you  enrich  yourselves  by  rais- 
ing the  price  of  bread  and  meat  and  milk  and  coal  and 
clothing.  All  of  you,  without  concern  for  your  immortal 
good  or  regard  for  the  welfare  of  your  fellowmen,  still 
drifting  in  selfish  and  luxurious  living  when  the  world 
is  sick  and  full  of  woe,  and  eternity  is  just  before  you,  I 


234     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

ask  you,  in  the  very  words  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  **how 
can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell?"  Oh,  yes,  you  are 
real  sinners,  and  in  your  deeper  hearts  you  know  it ;  and 
you  also  know  that  you  are  headed  toward  a  real  hell. 
You  have  already  begun  to  taste  it  in  this  world.  Isaiah 
the  prophet  has  well  said  of  all  such — "Hell  hath  enlarged 
itself,  and  opened  her  mouth  without  measure,  and  your 
glory,  and  your  multitude  and  your  pomp,  and  your  re- 
joicing shall  descend  into  it."   (Isaiah  5:14.) 

And  you  almost-Christians,  still  postponing,  lingering 
these  many  years  on  the  border  of  the  Kingdom,  and  yet 
never  entering  to  do  your  share,  and  still  refusing  to 
even  with  the  tremendous  responsibilities  of  human  life 
in  this  day  of  storm  and  stress  when  the  world  is  upside 
down,  I  ask  you  also,  "How  shall  ye  escape,  if  ye  neglect 
so  great  salvation?" 

CHRIST   OR   THE  DEVIL 

Call  me  an  extremist,  if  you  please,  laugh  at  me  as 
"out  of  date,"  sneer  at  me  as  a  "fanatic,"  because  I  dare 
sound  the  warning,  but  I  stand  here  to-night  as  a  mes- 
senger of  Jesus  Christ  and  I  do  warn  you,  as  he  did, 
that  justice  will  be  finally  vindicated,  and  that  "except 
ye  repent  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."  Justice  must  be 
done,  or  this  universe  will  come  to  its  end  in  moral  chaos. 
And  justice  will  be  done,  to  the  last  resource  of  infinite 
power ! 

Now,  hear  me  in  closing.  Jesus  is  our  only  Guide  and 
the  only  way  out!  Knowing  the  terrible  destruction 
wrought  by  sin,  he  lovingly  and  faithfully  warns  us  all 
before  it  is  eternally  too  late.  A  farmer  standing  one 
morning  on  the  mountainside  in  a  western  state  suddenly 


A  REAL  HELL  FOR  SINNERS         235 

felt  the  ground  trembling  beneath  him  in  a  strange  way. 
He  leaped  to  a  bush  near  him  on  the  side  of  a  bank  and 
clung  on.  He  leaped  just  in  time,  for  the  next  moment 
the  avalanche  slipped  from  beneath  his  feet  and  went 
roaring  with  the  jar  of  an  earthquake  to  the  valley  below. 
Jesus  not  only  warns  us  that  while  following  sin  we  are 
in  deadly  danger,  but  he  gave  himself  to  save  our  souls 
from  hell.  See  Him  yonder  upon  the  cross,  see  His 
agony  of  body  and  the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  read  there 
a  loving  God's  estimate  of  the  ugliness  of  human  sin, 
the  awfulness  of  Hell,  and  the  value  of  man's  eternal 
spirit.  If  God,  in  Christ  Jesus,  was  willing  to  endure  all 
of  that  to  save  us,  then  surely  Hell  is  indeed  a  terrible 
reality,  and  we  should  not  longer  "neglect  so  great  sal- 
vation.'* 

Will  you  beheve  Christ  or  will  you  believe  the  Devil? 
That  at  last  is  the  real  issue  in  this  entire  matter.  Even 
a  man  as  cultured  and  gentle  as  Ruskin  declared  that  the 
denial  of  hell  is  "the  most  dangerous,  because  the  most 
attractive,  form  of  modern  infidelity."  But  at  last,  my 
friends,  is  it  so  very  modem?  No!  It  is  the  devil's  same 
old  lie.  He  came  to  Eve  and  insinuated  a  doubt  about 
God's  truth.  He  asked  her,  "Yea,  hath  God  said?"  And 
then  he  followed  this  adroit  question,  which  carried  with 
it  a  doubt  of  the  truthfulness  of  God's  word,  by  his  own 
lie,  his  insistent  denial,  "Ye  shall  not  surely  die."  This 
is  what  led  to  the  fall  of  man.  And  it  is  the  Devil's  lies 
that  have  deluded  and  misled  the  children  of  men  down 
all  the  ages,  and  produced  all  the  sin  and  sorrow  and  suf- 
fering and  despair  in  the  whole  long,  dark,  tragic  history 
of  the  human  race.  Oh,  let  us  believe  God's  truth  rather 
than  the  Devil's  lie!  Let  us  accept  divine  revelation 
rather  than  human  speculation.    Let  us  heed  what  Christ 


236     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

so  plainly  taught,  and  we  shall  be  forever  saved !  Every 
consideration  of  enlightened  self-interest,  every  prompt- 
ing of  gratitude,  and  every  impulse  of  service  to  our  fel- 
lowmen,  should  lead  us  to  bow^  our  wills  to  God's  will 
and  to  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  our  eternal  Savior  and  our 
divine  Lord! 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  AND  ITS  HAPPY 
INHABITANTS 

Text :  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled :  ye  believe  in  God,  be- 
lieve also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it 
were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again^" 
and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be 
also."     (John  14:1-3.) 

"They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more;  neither 
shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them 
unto  living  fountains  of  waters :  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes."     (Rev.  7:16,  17.) 

"And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven  saying,  Behold,  the 
tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes; 
and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain:  for  the  former  things  are 
passed  away."     (Rev.  21:3,4,) 

Heaven!  Where  is  it?  What  is  it?  Who  will  be  in 
it?     How  can  we  get  there? 

God  does  not  fully  answer  these  questions  in  the 
Bible.  Perhaps  there  are  two  reasons  why  he  did  not. 
First,  because  our  finite  minds  could  not  fully  compre- 
hend, even  if  He  had  given  a  complete  revelation  of  the 
exact  conditions  in  the  other  world  and  the  precise  na- 
ture of  the  heavenly  home.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  speak 
to  my  baby  boy  concerning  the  problems  of  the  higher 
mathematics.  I  might  demonstrate  accurately  and  per- 
fectly some  beautiful  mathematical  truth,  but  his  little 

237 


238     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

mind  could'  not  grasp  it.  He  would  not  know  at  all 
what  I  was  talking  about.  Our  understanding  is 
grounded  only  on  the  nature  of  the  things  which  we 
have  experienced  or  learned.  We  are  now  in  a  human, 
finite  stage  of  our  existence,  with  the  limitations  of  the 
flesh  and  the  conditions  of  time  and  sense  to  circumscribe 
us.  We  cannot  possibly  fathom  or  understand,  there- 
fore, the  conditions  in  the  other,  eternal,  spirit  world. 
If  you  should  come  to  a  grub- worm — the  chrysalis  of 
the  butterfly — and  tell  that  grub-worm,  as  he  crawled 
in  the  mud  and  muck  of  earth,  that  the  time  was  com- 
ing when  he  would  be  changed  into  a  higher  and  far 
more  wonderful  being;  that  instead  of  his  heavy,  gross 
body,  crawHng  laboriously  upon  the  earth,  he  would 
have  wings  aglow  with  the  radiance  of  the  rainbow,  and 
that  he  would  fly  through  the  golden  sunlight,  and  have 
fellowship  with  the  flowers,  and  sip  the  sweet  nectar  of 
their  blooms;  if  you  should  tell  him  that,  in  some 
language  that  he  knew,  it  would  all  be  impossible  to  his 
comprehension,  because  he  had  only  known  the  slow 
crawling  and  the  mud  and  the  narrow  vision  of  his 
lower  estate. 

So  of  us  in  connection  with  the  glories  and  wonders 
of  heaven.  '*It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be." 
*'Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  has  it  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man  to  understand  the  things  that  God  is 
preparing  for  them  that  love  him." 

Again,  God  has  not  told  us  of  the  full  beauty  and 
blessedness  of  heaven,  because,  doubtless.  He  knew  that 
that  would  not  be  wisest  or  best  for  us,  since  we  have 
to  linger  in  the  flesh  and  amid  the  scenes  of  earth.  If 
the  sailor,  laboring  in  mid-ocean  to  bring  his  ship  safely 
through  the  storms,  could  lift  up  his  eyes  and  see  his 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  239 

home,  with  vivid  reality  and  nearness — if  he  could  see 
the  sunlight  pouring  across  the  rippling  grasses  and  the 
many  colored  flowers  smiling  to  the  sky,  and  his  little 
children  running  with  out-stretched  arms  to  meet  him  at 
the  gate,  and  the  wife  waiting  to  fold  him  in  her  warm 
embrace — if  he  could  see  these  things  it  would  not  be 
well,  because  forgotten  then  would  be  the  duty  at  his 
hand.  His  grasp  would  loosen  on  the  rope,  the  tempest 
would  snatch  away  the  sails,  and  the  gallant  ship,  over- 
whelmed with  disaster,  would  go  down  to  her  doom. 

If  we  could  see  all  the  glory  and  sweetness  of  the 
heavenly  home  it  would  spoil  us  for  the  tasks  of  earth. 
And  yet,  thank  God!  in  His  mercy  and  love,  He  does 
give  us  enough  of  the  truth  about  heaven  to  feed  our 
faith  and  to  inspire  our  hopes  and  to  fix  our  hearts* 
affections  on  heavenly  things. 

There  is  more,  too,  about  heaven  in  the  Bible  than 
a  great  many  people  imagine,  and  there  is  one  very  inter- 
esting thing  about  it  all.  The  teaching  concerning  the 
heavenly  home  is  consistent  in  setting  forth  the  fact 
that  heaven  will  not  be  a  place  so  radically  different  from 
anything  that  we  have  known  upon  earth,  that  we  will 
feel  strange  and  untutored  there.  Conditions  in  heaven 
will  be  rather  the  advancement,  the  perfection  of  earthly 
conditions.  That  is  one  reason  why  the  Bible  sets  forth 
the  fact  that  there  will  be  a  closeness  of  relationship  be- 
tween heaven  and  earth  under  the  conditions  of  the 
Millennium  time  and  the  eternity  that  follows.  There 
will  be  commerce  between  heaven  and  earth,  just  as  there 
was  in  the  beginning,  when  in  the  Garden  man  walked 
and  talked  with  God.  Indeed,  we  have  some  foretaste 
of  this  already  even  in  this  world.    We  have  some  of  the 


240     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

sweetness  of  heaven,  even  in  this  life,  in  the  fellowship 
with  God  and  his  people.    The  old  hymn  is  true : 

*The  hill  of  Zion  yields 

A  thousand  sacred  sweets. 
Before  we  climb  the  heavenly  heights 

Or  walk  the  golden  streets." 


A   GLORIOUS   CITY 

The  first  fact  about  heaven,  which  will  make  it  familiar 
to  us,  is  that  it  will  be  a  city — a  city  having  no  need  of 
the  sun  to  lighten  it;  for  ''the  Lamb  is  the  Hght  thereof." 
What  does  this  expression,  "the  Lamb,"  mean  all  through 
the  Scripture?  It  means  Christ  in  His  sacrificial  char- 
acter as  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world.  ''The  Lamb,"  means  Redemptive  Love,  and 
this  Love,  through  the  beauty  of  uncreated  light,  will 
illuminate  our  heavenly  home  forever. 

A  glorious  city,  then,  is  the  center  of  the  paradise 
of  God.  "We  have  here  no  continuing  city,  but  we  seek 
one  to  come."  For  at  last  man  is  a  social  being,  and 
while  even  in  the  heavenly  state  we  will  have  access  to 
the  fair  fields  and  the  sweet  beauties  of  the  transformed 
earth;  this  fact  that  man  is  a  social  being  and  that  his 
greatest  satisfactions  and  his  noblest  constructive  achieve- 
ments come  about  only  through  contact  with  his  fellows, 
show^s  the  logical  necessity  of  the  Bible  teaching,  that 
heaven  is  a  city. 

Yet  not  a  city  such  as  those  that  we  know  in  this 
world.  We  have  even  here  some  beautiful  cities.  I 
well  remember  strolling  along  the  boulevards  of  Paris 
one  summer  day,  when  the  world  was  fresh  from  the 
washing  of  a  passing  shower,  with  my  heart  lifted  up  at 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  241 

the  beauty  of  that  gallant  city.  I  stood  another  time  on 
the  top  of  the  Capitol  building  in  Washington.  With 
patriotic  pride  I  saw  the  long  lines  of  the  avenues 
stretching  out  like  spokes  from  the  hub  of  a  wheel,  and 
the  marble  buildings,  gleaming  through  the  whispering 
leaves,  and  the  stately  Potomac  flowing  by  the  graceful 
monument  erected  by  a  nation's  love  to  the  Father  of  his 
country.  I  rode  another  day  along  Fifth  Avenue,  here 
in  our  own  great  city,  toward  the  close  of  the  war  time, 
when  a  tide  of  patriotism  was  sweeping  our  citizenship. 
The  Avenue  was  aflame  with  color  and  aflutter  with 
flags;  and  I  thought,  "How  beautiful  is  this  metropolis 
of  America,  and  how  fair  is  this  stately  Avenue!" 

But  think,  my  friends,  what  heaven  will  be!  In  this 
wonderful  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Revelation  we  are 
given  one  dazzling  glimpse  of  its  supernal  glories.  Stand 
yonder  with  me  below  the  Arch  of  Triumph  on  Fifth 
Avenue  and  let  us  give  play  to  our  imaginations.  In- 
stead of  that  graceful  Arch  being  composed  of  man's 
poor  plaster,  which  is  already  cracking  and  falling  in 
decay,  think  of  it  as  carved  from  one  perfect  opal,  or 
one  giant  diamond,  fairly  stabbing  the  eyes  with  the 
dazzling  beauty  of  a  million  flashing  rays  of  light.  And 
beyond  it,  reaching  far  and  away,  see  the  Avenue,  not 
with  the  cold  drab  stones  that  we  know,  but  paved  with 
pure  gold,  so  rare  and  fine  that  it  shines  like  transparent 
glass.  And  there  beside  that  matchless  highway,  see 
trees  with  many  colored  flowers,  each  bearing  the  fruits 
of  life,  and  the  leaves  that  are  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations;  and  to  right  and  left  of  these,  as  far  as  our 
wondering  eyes  can  see,  behold  mansions  of  glory,  built 
of  opals  and  sapphires,  and  rubies  and  pearls,  planned 
by  the  skill  of  Omnipotent  Wisdom  and  executed  by  the 


242     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

power  of  a  divine  Architect !  Add  to  that  httle  gHmpse, 
which  the  imagination  gives,  a  thousandfold  increase  in 
beauty  and  sweetness,  and  let  the  city  stretch  out  and  out, 
with  its  jeweled  walls  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  each 
direction,  and  its  exquisite  beauties  piled  plain  on  plain 
and  street  above  street,  soaring  up  fifteen  hundred  miles 
toward  the  eternal  blue — try  with  your  poor  finite  minds 
to  think  of  that  and  to  dream  of  it,  and  you  will  begin 
to  catch  some  faint,  far-off  suggestion  of  the  Place  that 
God  Almighty  is  preparing  for  them  who  love  him! 

Yes,  it  is  a  place.  Jesus  said,  "I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you";  and  we  can  see  how  this  must  be  true, 
for  if  self-conscious  personality  is  to  survive,  it  must 
survive  somewhere.  "But,"  you  say,  **do  you  really  ask 
us  to  believe  that  when  John  speaks  here  in  the  Revela- 
tion of  this  wonderful  city  and  these  flashing  jewels 
and  these  magnificent  distances,  we  are  to  take  it  in  any 
sense  literally?"  And  I  answer  by  asking  you.  Why 
not?  ''Ah,"  but  you  say,  "that  is  materialism  in  the 
eternal  state."  Well,  why  should  there  not  be  material- 
ism in  the  eternal  state?  Is  there  any  law  or  reason 
against  that?  Now,  my  friend,  see  here!  We  are 
literally  steeped  in  materialism  in  this  age  as  never  be- 
fore. In  science,  in  business  and  economics,  and  every- 
where else  this  modern  age  is  overwhelmingly  ma- 
terialistic. We  are  very  familiar  with  materialism. 
Why,  then,  should  we  be  so  sensitive  of  the  suggestion 
of  a  heavenly  materialism — transfigured  and  glorified — 
in  the  hereafter?  Not  a  heavy,  gross  materialism  such 
as  we  know,  but  something  infinitely  rarer  and  finer! 
Since  the  teaching  of  the  Scripture  is  always  that  the 
things  which  are  coming  to  us  in  the  beyond  are  in  line 
with  the  things  that  we  have  known  here,  why  should 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  243 

we  not  accept  the  teaching  that  heaven  is  a  glorious 
city?  And  if  God  has  beautified  this  earth  by  little 
touches  of  gold  and  flashes  of  jewels,  why  may  we  not 
accept  the  teaching  that  what  we  have  seen  upon  earth 
is  only  a  fore-gleam  of  the  superlative  beauty  of  heaven? 
If  pearls  and  diamonds  and  other  jewels  charm  us  with 
their  loveliness  here,  then  why  may  we  not  believe  that 
God,  from  his  infinite  treasure  house,  has  builded  our 
eternal  home  of  jewels,  more  glorious  and  beautiful  than 
our  poor  eyes  have  ever  seen,  or  our  fond  hearts  have 
ever  dreamed  ? 

NO  MORE  SIN  AND  SUFFERING 

Another  thing.  In  that  perfect  city  there  will  be  only 
perfect  beings,  as  the  favored  inhabitants  forever.  It 
is  written  here  that  they  shall  "hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more."  Again  and  again  the  cities  of  earth 
are  blighted  with  terrible  famines.  At  this  very  hour, 
as  I  speak  to  you  here  in  this  sanctuary,  yonder  in  the 
cities  of  Russia  and  of  middle  Europe  and  of  the  East 
the  people  starve  for  bread.  The  gaunt,  haggard  forms 
of  little  children  stagger  along  the  highways  looking  for 
even  a  crust,  and  find  it  not.  But  there  is  a  better  time 
coming.  In  heaven  never  again  will  the  pangs  of  hun- 
ger and  the  agony  of  famine  waste  and  destroy! 

Nor  shall  there  be  any  more  iniquity  in  that  beautiful 
home  of  the  soul.  "Nothing  that  defileth  or  maketh  a 
lie,  shall  enter  in.*'  The  supreme  tragedy  of  human  life 
is  that,  despite  all  that  the  good  God  has  done,  men  still 
rebel  and  sin,  and  will  not  repent.  I  had  the  privilege, 
sometime  since  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  of  going  through  the 
State  Penitentiary.     I  went  into  the  narrow  cells  where 


244     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

human  beings  have  to  hve,  some  of  them  for  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days.  I  went  into  the  workshops.  I 
mingled  with  the  prisoners  and  talked  with  them  on  the 
play  ground,  during  the  recreation  hour.  And  then  I 
went  into  the  death  chamber,  that  grim  and  terrible  place 
— that  throne  room  of  the  dark  Reaper — and  there  I  saw 
the  electric  chair.  It  is  the  first  one  ever  used  to  exe- 
cute a  human  being.  As  we  stood  there  in  the  solemn 
quiet  of  that  terrible  room,  I  said  to  the  kind-hearted 
officer,  who  was  showing  me  through :  **Now,  tell  me, 
you  have  seen  these  men  and  women  die  here,  have  you?" 
*'Yes,  Doctor,  every  one."  "You  saw  Czolgosz,  who 
murdered  President  McKinley,  executed  here,  did  you?'* 
*'Yes,  Doctor."  "Well  now,  tell  me,  in  that  solemn 
moment  when  he  faced  death  and  eternity,  was  there  any 
sign  of  repentance?  As  a  result  of  his  opportunity  for 
thought  and  meditation  upon  his  crime,  did  he  soften 
at  all?  Did  there  seem  to  be  any  element  of  sorrow 
for  the  great  wrong  he  had  done  and  the  bright  life  he 
had  blasted  and  the  loving  hearts  he  had  wrecked? 
Was  there  any  change  in  him?"  "No,"  he  said,  "Doctor, 
there  was  not.  He  died  cool  and  defiant.  Even  in  the 
moment  when  he  took  his  seat  in  the  chair  he  expressed 
himself  as  glad  that  he  had  done  his  terrible  deed. 
Doctor,  he  was  glad  that  he  had  shot  down  the  Chris- 
tian President  of  the  land  of  freedom — in  the  very  act 
of  extending  his  hand  in  an  impulse  of  good  fellowship 
to  shake  his  own!" 

Here,  in  the  very  midst  of  this  chapter  describing  the 
glories  of  heaven,  is  the  statement  that  those  who  will 
not  accept  God — all  the  fearful,  and  unbelieving,  and 
abominable,  and  whoremongers,  and  murderers,  and 
sorcerers,  and  idolaters,   and  liars — shall  be  cast  out. 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  245 

Thank  God  for  the  blessed  hope  that  we  are  coming, 
by  and  by,  to  a  place  where  there  will  be  no  more  death 
chairs  and  jails  and  hard,  unrepentant  human  hearts, 
but  that  we  are  to  live  in  a  city  where  only  the  good 
and  the  true  abide ;  a  city  into  whose  hospitable  gate- 
ways all  of  the  great  and  noble  shall  come,  and  into 
which  the  Kings  of  the  earth  shall  bring  their  glory  and 
their  honor! 

GOVERNMENT    IN    HEAVEN 

The  Bible  makes  plain,  again,  that  another  institution 
of  earth  which  we  will  know  and  recognize  in  heaven 
will  be  government.  Our  text  speaks  of  the  "Lamb  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne."  God's  perfect  government, 
then,  will  be  centered  in  Redemptive  Love.  God  is  a 
Sovereign,  and  the  good  order  of  the  universe  is  insured, 
not  along  lines  that  are  strange  and  utterly  different 
from  ever>'thing  that  we  have  ever  known,  but  along 
lines  with  which  we  are  more  or  less  familiar.  And 
since  men  are  to  share  with  God  the  rulership  of  the 
universe,  since  we  are  "to  reign  with  Christ,"  it  is  en- 
cumbent on  us  to  strive,  as  far  as  possible,  that  govern- 
ment on  earth  shall  be  centered  in  redemptive  love,  that 
we  may  be  thus  trained,  as  far  as  possible  here  and  now, 
for  the  tasks  and  the  blessed  duties  that  await  us  over 
there.  For  heaven,  mind  you,  is  not  a  condition  of 
static  idleness,  but  of  glorious  activity.  Jesus  said,  "My 
Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  The  whole  vast 
work  of  this  infinite  universe  must  go  constantly  for- 
ward. And  each  of  us  in  that  blessed  Kingdom  shall 
have  our  appointed  place  and  our  delightful  duty  to  dis- 
charge. There  shall  be  no  agonizing,  grinding  toil,  such 
as  the  earth  knows,  for  the  promise  is  "neither  shall  the 


246     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat,"  but  there  will  be  con- 
structive service.  Think  what  blessed  and  wonderful 
tasks  are  awaiting  us  there;  upon  what  far  errands  we 
are  to  go,  perhaps  to  the  uttermost  bounds  of  this  great 
universe,  and  what  experiences  shall  be  ours,  as  in  the 
rapture  of  perfect  love  we  do  the  will  of  God,  under 
conditions  in  which,  as  Bickersteth  says: 

"Service  there  is  rest,  rest  service; 

For  the  paradise  of  Saints, 

Like  Eden,  with  its  toilless  husbandry. 

Has  many  plants  to  tend  and  flowers  to  twine, 

And  fruit  trees  in  the  garden  of  the  soul, 

That  ask  the  culture  of  celestial  skill." 


FAMILY   LIFE   IN    HEAVEN 

The  Scripture  makes  plain,  again,  that  another  institu- 
tion of  earth,  which  we  will  find  in  a  glorified  and  nobler 
form  in  heaven,  will  be  the  family.  Jesus  said,  "In  my 
Father's  house  are  many  mansions."  "My  Father,"  thus 
distinguishing  Him  from  all  other  fathers,  and  showing 
even  in  the  Godhead  a  family  relationship.  Again  we 
read  here,  in  the  seventh  verse  of  the  twenty-first  chap- 
ter of  the  Revelation,  "He  that  overcometh  shall  inherit 
all  things,  and  I  will  be  his  God  and  he  shall  be  my 
Son."  "Inherit,"  another  familiar  earthly  term,  and 
"my  Son,"  an  expression  of  relationship.  Here,  then, 
are  clear  intimations  of  the  bond  of  fellowship  and  love 
through  the  family  idea.  It  will  be  no  longer  the  re- 
lationship and  interests  arising  from  the  flesh,  for  Jesus 
rebuked  the  skeptics  of  his  age  by  telling  them  that 
there  would  be  no  giving  or  taking  in  marriage  in  heaven, 
but  that  we  should  be  "like  the  angels  of  God."    That 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  247 

can  only  mean  that  we  shall  live  in  the  perfection  of  a 
pure  and  holy  love.  The  flesh  element  in  connection  with 
love  is  entirely  incidental.  The  reality  is  in  the  spirit. 
We  are  living  now  in  the  shadow  life.  Our  true  life  is 
beyond;  and  in  that  heavenly  home  we  shall  know  and 
love  each  other  even  better  than  upon  the  earth. 

May  I  confess  to  you,  my  friends,  that  this  thought 
is  inexpressibly  sweet  to  my  heart.  Ah,  these  precious 
loves  of  earth  and  these  dear  ties  of  home.  These  tender 
endearments  of  wifehood  and  motherhood;  this  rippling, 
childish  laughter,  and  these  rosy,  baby  arms  about  our 
necks!  Are  we  to  lose  these  things  forever  and  know 
them  no  more?  Hear  me!  Not  if  there  is  a  God  who 
is  both  great  and  good,  for  the  bonds  of  love  are  the 
most  precious  and  beautiful  things  that  this  world  knows, 
and  surely  our  Heavenly  Father  will  save  them,  to  bless 
and  rejoice  our  hearts  forever. 

I  was  privileged,  as  a  lad,  to  have  a  beautiful  and 
happy  home  life.  I  can  recall  to  this  hour  the  smallest 
detail  of  the  houses  where  we  lived,  of  the  yards  and 
the  trees  and  the  wide  lying  fields.  In  the  quiet  of 
the  summer  twilight  or  as  the  soft  glow  of  the  winter 
fireside  sends  out  its  cheery  warmth,  suddenly  the  past 
comes  rushing  back  again.  Many  fair  and  cherished 
forms  linger  along  the  shores  of  memory.  There  I  see 
mother,  with  her  beauty  and  her  unselfishness,  her  joy 
in  the  out  of  doors,  her  gracious  charity  and  her  love 
of  flowers  and  music  and  all  dumb  things.  And  there 
is  father,  with  his  cheery  smile  and  his  joyful  good  fel- 
lowship, and  yet  with  his  stern,  splendid  strength.  And 
when  I  realize  that  they  are  gone  and  I  shall  never  see 
them  more,  so  far  as  the  walks  of  earth  are  concerned, 
the  thought  of  heaven  is  precious  beyond  the  power  of 


248     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

words  to  express.     Mother  was  the  first  to  tell  us  the 

long  good-by;  and  then,  within  a  year,  father  followed, 

and  then  my  oldest  brother.     Only  two  of  us  are  left 

from  that  broken  home,  and  yet  wonderful  blessings 

came  from  those  griefs.     Before  that,  I  had  merely  a 

philosophical   conception   of   heaven.      In    College    and 

,  University,  through  the  study  of  science  and  philosophy, 

'  I  lost  the  clear  vision  of  these  great  old  truths;  but 

after  father  and  mother  and  brother  went  away,  these 

]  great  messages  in  the  Bible  about  heaven  became  to  me 

\  almost  like  personal  letters  from  God,  assuring  me  that 

I  the  dear  ones  were  there  as  His  guests,   and  that  by 

j  and  by  I  would  see  them  all  again,  and  that  the  ties 

I  of  love  that  here  were  broken  would  be  reunited  to  vi- 

I  brate  in  eternal  harmony. 

i 

WORSHIP   IN    HEAVEN 

Another  institution  that  we  have  known  upon  earth 
which  will  be  found  in  heaven,  is  worship.  For  earthly 
life  reaches  its  highest  and  best  in  the  noble  impulses 
of  worship.  And  yet  somewhat  different  it  will  be  from 
the  worship  of  earth.  There  will  be  no  church  in  heaven 
save  the  church  of  the  first  born,  "the  bride  of  the 
Lamb,"  for  John  writes  here,  "I  saw  no  temple  there, 
for  the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the 
temple  of  it."  There  will  be  then,  in  its  full  flower,  the 
perfection  of  spiritual  worship.  "The  Lamb" — ^the 
blessedness  of  redemptive  love^ — shall  be  the  very  atmos- 
phere and  content  of  the  adoration  of  heaven. 

We  will  miss,  perchance,  some  of  the  things  with 
which  we  are  familiar  in  our  worship  here.  There  will 
be  no  more  prayer  in  heaven,  for  in  the  face  of  Jesus 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  249 

Christ  we  shall  see  God  and  ascribe  unto  Him  honor, 
praise  and  glory  forever.  There  will  be  no  reading  of 
the  Scripture  in  heaven,  for  there  we  will  have  full  fel- 
lowship with  the  Living  Word.  There  will  be  no  more 
preaching  in  heaven,  for  every  soul  will  be  saved.  Some 
of  you  dear  friends,  who  have  suffered  here  under  long 
sermons,  will  have  a  blessed  relief  in  the  heavenly  home. 
But  there  is  one  thing  that  we  know  in  our  earthly 
worship,  which  we  will  have  in  heaven,  and  that  is  music. 
Our  hearts  thrill  under  the  great  oratorios  of  earth. 
We  are  enchanted  by  the  harmonies  of  the  masters, 
quivering  upon  vibrating  strings  or  rolling  from  golden 
throated  trumpets,  or  leaping  like  winged  angels  from 
the  lips  of  those  who  are  gifted  with  the  talent  of  song. 
But  think  what  the  music  of  heaven  will  be!  Rank  be- 
yond rank,  choir  beyond  choir,  and  cloud  above  cloud 
of  the  saved,  striking  their  golden  harps  and  singing  the 
songs  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb — harmonies  rarer  than 
our  earth  has  known,  melodies  sweeter  than  have  ever 
ravished  our  ears  here  below — "every  creature  which 
is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth  and  under  the  earth  sing- 
ing, 'Holy,  Holy,  Holy.'  Blessings  be  unto  Him  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne  and  unto  the  Lamb  forever!  Alle- 
luia! Salvation  and  glory  and  honor  and  power  unto 
the  Lord  our  God !" 

PERFECT  COMFORT 

In  the  perfection  of  this  worship  and  the  intimacy 
of  fellowship  with  God,  we  are  taught  that  we  will 
find  the  fullness  of  comfort  and  peace.  The  promise  is 
"God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  our  eyes."  In  the 
world  we  have  tribulation.     There  is  an  old  Spanish 


250     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

proverb  which  says,  "There  is  no  home  without  a  hush." 
The  hush  of  sorrow  is  in  every  human  home. 

*'There  is  no  flock,  however  watched  and  tended, 
But  one  dead  Lamb  is  there ! 
There  is  no  fireside  howsoever  defended, 
But  hath  one  vacant  chair.'' 

But  in  the  heavenly  home  there  will  be  no  more  sad 
farewells,  no  more  funeral  cars  and  open  graves  and 
broken  hearts,  no  more  shrunken  limbs  and  twisted 
spines;  no  more  pain  or  suffering  or  death.  *'For  the 
former  things  are  passed  away,"  **and  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  our  eyes." 

Summing  it  all  up,  the  worship  of  heaven  and  the  fel- 
lowship with  God  will  bring  us  into  the  fullness  of  life. 
*'The  Lamb  shall  lead  us  to  the  fountains  of  waters  of 
life."  We  shall  learn  eternal  truth  from  Redemptive 
Love.  Our  lives  in  this  world  are  but  pitiful  makeshifts 
at  best.  Fame  is  fleeting,  and  friendship  often  is  false, 
and  sorrows  fall  thick  and  fast  upon  us.  Our  best  in- 
spirations beat  their  wings  against  the  limitations  of  the 
flesh,  like  the  bird  of  the  mountain  against  the  bars  of 
its  cage;  but,  beloved,  the  time  of  the  fullness  of  life 
is  coming,  "in  that  sweet  by  and  by,"  when  Jesus  him- 
self shall  lead  us  into  the  fullest  treasures  of  knowledge 
and  wisdom  and  understanding  and  love,  which  con- 
stitute our  true  and  destined  life. 

THE  ETERNAL  CHOICE 

Ah,  my  friends,  which  of  these  twain  will  you 
choose?  God  has  set  life  and  death  before  us — ^heaven 
and  hell  for  our  taking.     What  shall  your  choice  be? 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  251 

Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  the  great  agnostic  of  the  last  gen- 
eration, once  said,  in  speaking  of  death : 

"And,  after  all,  it  may  be  best,  just  in  the  happiest 
sunniest  hour  of  all  the  voyage,  while  eager  winds  are 
kissing  every  sail,  to  dash  against  the  unseen  rock,  and 
in  an  instant  hear  the  billows  roar  above  the  sunken  ship. 
For  whether  in  midsea  or  among  the  breakers  of  the 
farther  shore,  a  wreck  at  last  must  mark  the  end  of  each 
and  all.  And  every  life,  no  matter  if  its  every  hour  is 
rich  with  love,  and  every  moment  jeweled  with  a  joy, 
will,  at  its  close,  become  a  tragedy  as  sad  and  deep  and 
dark  as  can  be  woven  of  the  warp  and  woof  of  mystery 
and  death." 

Contrast  with  that  doctrine  of  pessimism  and  despair 
these  words  from  the  last  sermon  which  I  ever  heard 
Dr.  J.  B.  Hawthorne,  that  prince  of  southern  pulpit 
orators,  preach : 

"When  we  stand  up  there  at  the  right  hand  of  Majesty, 
robed  in  white,  crowned  and  sceptered,  enraptured  by 
the  music  of  victory  and  the  hallelujahs  and  hosannas 
of  the  redeemed,  we  shall  see,  far  more  perfectly  than 
we  now  see,  that  the  miracles  which  kept  us  from  death, 
were  immeasurably  less  merciful  than  the  miracle  which 
led  us  through  the  gates  of  death  and  carried  us  up  to  our 
eternal  home  and  heritage  in  the  heavens.  These  fail- 
ing eyes  will  soon  close  to  the  attractions  of  earth's  hills 
and  dales  and  fields  and  floods,  and  all  the  resplendent 
beauty  of  the  starry  heavens.  But  beyond  all  these,  I 
see  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness.  I  see  a  land  where  the  flowers  never  with- 
er and  the  rainbow  never  fades.  A  land  upon  whose 
blissful  shore  there  falls  no  shadow,  and  rests  no  stain." 

Here  is  the  contrast  between  unbelief  and  faith,  one 
seeing  death  as  a  night  of  oblivion,  unlighted  by  the 


252     THE  MENACE  OF  IMMORALITY 

radiance  of  a  single  star;  the  other  seeing  death  as  the 
sunrise  of  heavenly  blessedness  and  eternal  joy. 

THE  HOME  OF  THE  SOUL 

What  does  it  all  mean,  my  friends?  All  this  that 
Jesus  is  saying,  that  he  has  ''gone  to  prepare  a  place" 
for  us,  and  that  "in  the  Father's  house  there  are  many 
mansions"?  What  does  it  mean,  this  matchless  and 
blessed  city  that  John  is  picturing  here,  that  his  en- 
raptured eyes  looked  upon  through  the  inspiration  of 
God?  To  sum  it  up  and  put  it  into  one  sweet  word,  it 
means  Home,  the  home  of  the  soul. 

In  many  ways  that  is  the  sweetest  of  all  our  earthly 
words.  The  holiest  ties  of  earth  center  in  home. 
Home  means  rest.  Home  means  shelter  from  the 
storms.  Home  means  the  protection  of  brooding  love. 
Home  means  joyful  reunions.  Home  means  light  and 
laughter  and  song  and  fellowship  with  those  who  under- 
stand us  and  whom  we  love;  and  that  is  what  heaven 
is — our  eternal  Home. 

In  one  of  our  Northern  cities,  some  time  ago,  a  mass 
meeting  of  railroad  men  was  held,  and  a  well-known 
and  popular  engineer  was  speaking.  In  the  course  of 
his  address  he  said : 

"Ah,  brothers,  I  cannot  tell  you  how  dear  to  my  heart 
is  the  thought  of  heaven!"  And  then  he  told  them 
that  when  he  started  out  as  a  young  man  upon  his  first 
run,  each  evening  as  he  would  bring  his  train  into  the 
city  where  he  lived,  in  passing  the  little  cottage  home 
in  the  suburbs,  he  would  blow  the  whistle;  and  always 
the  door  would  promptly  open,  and  a  sweet  faced  old 
lady  would  come  out  and  wave  her  greetings  to  him,  arid 


THE  HEAVENLY  HOME  253 

then  would  turn  into  the  house  and  say,  "Thank  God, 
father,  Benny  is  safely  home  again."  Then  he  said  the 
years  passed  away,  and  by  and  by  they  laid  that 
sweet  mother  back  into  the  arms  of  the  earth;  but  each 
day  when  his  train  swept  around  the  curve  and  into  the 
city,  he  still  blew  his  whistle;  and,  as  before,  the  door 
would  open  and  a  gray  haired  old  gentleman  would  step 
out  and  wave  to  him  and  murmur,  as  he  stepped  back, 
"Thank  God,  Benny  is  safely  home  again!"  And  then 
the  time  came  when  he  had  to  say  good-by  to  father 
too.  The  shadow  of  a  tender  grief  was  upon  his  heart 
as  he  passed  the  little  cottage  on  the  hillside.  "But, 
men,"  he  said,  "hear  me  to-day;  that  is  not  the  end  of 
the  story.  When  I  open  my  last  throttle  in  this  world 
and  come  into  the  heavenly  station  at  last,  as  I  pass 
through  the  gates  into  the  city,  I  expect  to  see  a  sweet- 
faced  old  lady  and  a  dear  gracious  old  gentleman  wait- 
ing to  greet  me  there,  and  I  expect  to  hear  her  turn  and 
say,  *Thank  God,  father,  Benny  is  safely  Home.'  " 

Oh,  my  friends,  what  difference  will  it  make  at  last — 
all  our  success  and  our  pleasure,  our  fame  and  our 
vanity,  our  glory  and  our  honor, — yes,  and  our  gold,  piled 
up  and  up  and  up! — what  is  the  use  of  it  all,  unless  we 
win  heaven?  "What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 
whole  world  and  yet  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  * 

*  Dr.  Straton's  little  book  on  "The  Heavenly  Home"  contains  the 
above  sermon  and  two  others.  One  on  "The  New  Heavens  and 
the  New  Earth,  Wherein  Dwelleth  Righteousness,"  and  the  other 
on  "Will  We  Know  Our  Loved  Ones  in  Heaven?"  Price  fifty  cents. 
Published  by  George  H.  Doran  Company. 


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